


Under Your Armor

by DuchessWinter



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Later-on Smut, Life on the Nemesis, Reader gets superpowers, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, Social Anxiety, Swearing, Trust, reader is female, xenophilia I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:17:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 403,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuchessWinter/pseuds/DuchessWinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reader's life changed drastically not long ago, she became so much more yet she has lost so much too. Just when she thought she had adapted to her new life, everything became even more crazy when she met robotic aliens and locked eyes with their fearsome leader.<br/>The story starts four years before the first episode of TF:P and will gradually diverge from the plot of the series.<br/>I'm rating this M for language, violence and later-on smut. But I know you kids will read it anyway, so I just hope you enjoy!XD</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everything Changed

**Author's Note:**

> Story takes place 4 years before the first episode of the series and will then stray from the plot little by little.  
> I also decided to give the Reader "special abilities" that don't involve being a master hacker or repairman. I hope it'll be OK with you.
> 
> ...  
> Do I need a disclaimer? Have a disclaimer.
> 
> -TF:P is not mine, Hasbro is not mine, the Internet is not mine, I own nothing but my humble laptop and my fantasies about giant alien robotic organisms-

It was June and the summer sun was shining brightly in the sky. People in the streets were walking around, some in a hurry to get to their destinations, some of them waiting at bus stops for the public transport to arrive, others were sitting at tables of nearby coffee shops and sipping their morning drink of choice.

It's a wonder some people could drink steaming hot coffee when it was already so warm outside. Some people really differed in subtle, but interesting ways - where one could just chug a cup of tea, the other had to wait several minutes for it to cool before they could drink it, where some rejoices in the summer heat, others would do their best to seek the cover of a tree's shadow to comfortably enjoy the weather.

A young woman was lazily people-watching through a large window of a bakery, a cup of coffee in her hand. She had to put her drink on the counter, however, when a client came through the door - she wasn't paid to just stand there all day and daydream.

"Good morning," she warmly smiled to the elderly man, recognizing him as one of the regulars.  
"Oh, Miss Y/N, so you're on shift today," the man croaked and flashed her a bright smile that wasn't at all tarnished by all the wrinkles on his face.  
"I am indeed, Mr. Stanly, I am indeed," the young woman nodded, speaking just a tad louder, not forgetting about the man's somewhat impaired hearing and neatly put her hands on the counter one atop the other.  
The old war veteran chuckled and, giving a look at the pastries that were on display, said:

"Well then I guess I'll have coffee, black, and that apple jam donut."  
The girl nodded again, wasting no time and pressing the buttons on the coffee maker.  
"You can take a seat, I'll bring it over," she said, quickly adding "It's no trouble, you're the only one in line and friendly face too."  
The man, who looked like he was going to agrue, instantly brightened up and, leaving the money at the cash register, sat down at one of the tables. Not long after Y/N came over, setting the plate and the cup on the table and wishing the man a good meal, before returning behind the register and taking her mug in hand.  
The veteran was a proud one, she knew him a while now, so opting to say that he was a cherished customer was far more logical than him thinking this was about his age or trembling hands. It was, truthfully, all of those things. He was a friendly regular, he was old, his hands did tremble. But sometimes you just have to know where to put the emphasis at.

She trained herself to do just that. She was...special, in a way. Everyone, especially in their teen years, is hyper aware of other people, of how the world sees them. She wasn't a teenager for a while now already and for Y/N it wasn't just the feeling of hyper awareness of others. It was their awareness of her. Ever since she was small, she would start noticing that sometimes people walking several feet infront of her would look back, as if checking for something, as if knowing she was there. Or exactly the opposite, she sometimes noticed, especially in her teen years, that when she wished to avoid attention, people would just not notice her, as if she wasn't there at all. She even got to scare her friends that way, a joke that she was some kind of ninja or Batman cementing itself in their company.

It wasn't all strange or helpful, however, at one stage of her life it got terrifying, as about a year after she moved away from her parents she started to feel hyper aware of Everyone of the streets. It was an overwhelming feeling, like she could sense them, their presence, heart racing as some of them would glance over at her or pass her by. She was almost convinced it was the stress, the anxiety getting to her, but whatever it was, she confined herself to her small one-bedroom apartment, taking a break from her studies, going outside only to work and buy food. Gradually, after the initial shock of the experience, she began to train herself to calm down, to take it under control. If that would not work - the next step would be visiting a therapist. She was, however, determined to try and get this under control herself - she would never deny that she was a tad too prideful.

Eventually, her ventures to the busy city streets became more prolonged, the self-control she honed her whole life helped her to get a hold on her senses. Life became normal again and her friends were happy to see her more often. She became used to the fact that, normally, people seemed to notice her presence if she was in close enough proximity. She didn't think herself to be exceedingly beautiful, but the attention, even if it were just glances, made her somewhat self conscious and trying to look presentable at any time. She also got used to random people usually coming to her, be it a tourist asking for directions, a child in search of their parent, or some guy in hopes of getting her number. One of her friends always said it was her "warm aura", her other, less spiritual friend just signed it off to "having a friendly and pretty face", her male friend just snickered and made a shape of boobs in the air with his hands.

Whatever it was, her being an introvert she learned at a young age she had to just get over herself and learn how not to be awkward in situations where the spotlight was suddenly on her. This didn't change much about how she was on the inside, she still would avoid places that were too loud or public, like night clubs, finding more enjoyment in a movie or book, or even in a quiet bar with close friends, she would avoid speaking in front of a crowd like the plague, instead looking for every opportunity to walk somewhere closer to nature and get her dose of alone time.  
Animals always did somehow favor her and she sure as hell liked to be around them more than being around people for too long.

Now, being a young adult, her trials and tribulations seemingly over after she got hold of her hyper awareness two years ago, she just lived her life, studying, working, keeping her loved ones close. She was liked at work, she was not bothered when at her studies, she was loved by her friends and family. It was a peaceful and comfortable life.

Until the moment it wasn't anymore.

Y/N was walking home from the bakery. Her h/c hair was now down and shining in the evening suns rays, her e/c eyes lazily looking ahead and a playlist with her favorite tunes playing in her earphones. She turned a corner and walked into her apartment complex. Feeling tired from work, she decided to not take the stairs, but ride up in an elevator.  
She pushed the button, the elevator doors opened, letting her in. The young woman stepped inside and, when she turned, there was a man wearing a police uniform right in front of her. He grabbed her, she instinctively kicked him in the knee, making him loudly curse in pain before putting a rag over her mouth and nose, the solution it was damp with quickly making her cease her struggling and pass out.

The man took out a phone and whn someone on the other end answered quicky reported:  
"It's done, sir. Yes, we will proceed as planned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry for the lack of anything cybertronian in this chapter, I just wanted to set the stage I guess.  
> I promise much more transformers(more than nothing, ha) and actual stuff happening in the future.


	2. Leave Your Life Behind

Y/n awoke with a gasp, sitting up on her bed and breathing quickly, cold sweat running down her back.  
   
  
_She could still remember how horrible she was feeling when she came to - a splitting headache and throbbing pain in her whole body. The second realization was far more frightening - she couldn't see, her eyes were covered. She was laying on a hard, metal floor, her arms and legs tied._  
  
_She remembered panic overcoming her, she remembered trying to even out her breathing, to calm down, to listen, maybe get a sense where she was. There was a strange humming sound somewhere not too far away._  
_Then they came, they took her somewhere where the strange sound was getting louder._  
_She asked about it, trying to keep her voice calm and cold, she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her panicked._  
_Was she on a ship? No, a ship's engines sounded different. Some factory, maybe?_  
_She remembered that her captor began walking faster and replied, a scary contentment to his voice:_  
_"There is no noise. Not for normal people."_  
  
"Normal people, huh?" she chuckled bitterly. If she ever had a shot at normalcy, after that night it was lost forever.  
It was still dark and Y/n layed back on the bed and closed her eyes, sighing tiredly. Then, she opened her e/c eyes again - she knew well that sleep won't come to her anymore this night. Getting up, the young woman turned up the lights and began making herself some tea. When that was done, she opened the front door of the small cabin she was living in. It was in the middle of the woods, no people for miles.  
  
She looked into the darkness - darkness wasn't something she was afraid of. There were worse things than darkness. Like people.  
  
_They brought her to some cave and as they removed her blindfold, the first thing she saw was that the walls of the cave were covered in odd hieroglyphs. The men who brought her there claimed that she would serve for the greater good of humanity, the races evolution to a new level. Too bad that she won't see it as she will be more valuable to the researchers as a corpse they can dissect._  
  
_Apparently, she carried some special genes that were extremely rare and compatible with something. She was not being too attentive at that point, trying to figure out how to escape. Unfortunately, she was escorted by four armed men in military uniforms at all times and her arms were still bound. They brought her to a large hole in the ground, so deep that there was nothing but pitch black darkness as she looked down. The leader of the group didn't hesitate to untie her arms. He also didn't hesitate to push her down into the pit._  
  
Y/n shuddered. It wasn't from the cold, it was from the memory of how bad it hurt when it seemed like all of her bones broke on impact.  
  
_Her lungs collapsed, one was surely punctured by her broken ribs, so she couldn't even scream and only small, pathetic noises came from her broken body as the life spilled out of her along with the blood gushing out from her many wounds._  
_The last thing she heard was that strange humming sound, now unbearably loud and all around her._  
  
The girl sighed and took a sip of her tea. She looked at the mug, at the steam rising from the drink into the night air. She died there. Or she had to. By all laws of physics, physiology and plain common sense, she had to die there.  
  
_But she didn't. There were powers there she couldn't even imagine._  
_She awoke and she was fine. Her body was healed, in fact, she never felt better. The darkness around her now seemed tolerable, she could make out most things even without a  light source. She found herself in an ancient temple of sorts,  the strange writing from before suddenly clear as if written in her own mother-tongue. It spoke of a primitive race, of a plan to keep them in check by recruiting their own, of an altered strain of DNA granted to those worthy. So that was their plan? Find a descendant with those genes, bring them here, awaken the genetic code to it's full potential, then dissect her to try and crack the code? She would see them all dead before she lets that happen._  
_She soon found herself venturing even deeper, finding what looked like a crashed spaceship of the race who tampered with the DNA of her ancestors. It was huge, the alien race must have been titans. It's hatch was closed, but as soon as she came near, the sensors picked her up and the huge heavy door tried to open. The damage, natural factors and thousands of years took their toll and the huge door opened but a fraction before stopping with a thundering creak. It was enough for her, however, and she slipped in. The spaceship looked ancient, yet more advanced that anything humans could ever come up with._  
_It could not fall into the hands of those fucking maniacs._  
  
_So when they came down, their heavy boots stomping through the temple halls, flashlights darting around in search of her and weapons ready to fire, she was not there. She found another exit behind the ship and was running from the caves as fast as she could just hoping to be out of range by the time the ship's self-destruct sequence she initiated counted down to 00:00:00. When the ship blew up, taking with it the whole mountain and everyone in and around it, the blast threw her on the ground, making her scrape her arms on the rocks and branches and raining rubble from the sky.  When it became deathly quiet, she dared to sit up and look back at the mountain - now completely decimated and water from the nearby river pouring into the newly formed crater. A gloating smile appeared on her face, she wondered if those dirtbags had faces like that one guy in that one 90s movie when he looked at the aliens self-destruct device. Fortunately, they were not as lucky as the muscled protagonist in the movie. She then looked at her arms, the wounds from her fall completely gone now._  
  
_'Heh, too bad there was no choppa for me to get to,'_ she thought to herself and the stupidity of the thought made her chuckle. She took another sip of her now slightly warm drink and sighed, sadness returning to her features. Her kidnapping happened almost three months ago. After she got to civilization, she wrote letters of apologies to her friends and visited her parents to say goodbye before going dark. It was the smart thing to do, to lay low, to leave her previous life so that if there ever was someone else who wanted her, they wouldn't find her near her coworkers, her friends or her family. They did not deserve this madness.

She should have disappeared without any farewells too, it would have been safer. But, again, her parents did not deserve such torment without even knowing that she was doing it of her own will and not just laying dead in a ditch somewhere.  
  
So here she was, sitting on the porch of a small cabin, in the middle of the woods, most of her belongings still packed as there was no need of dresses or heels in the middle of the forest.  
"I wish I at least had Netflix here, goddammit," she whispered to herself, fully aware how petty her need of the internet was in comparison to everything else she had to leave behind. But she really couldn't think of that, it was better for her sanity to focus on minor things.  
  
Then, suddenly, she saw wolves. It wasn't uncommon to see them, they started coming to the cabin as soon as she moved in, curious of the new inhabitant of the forest and nonthreathening thanks to her strange...gift, should she call it? Now, however, the predators jumped out from behind the bushes and ran past the cabin in a hurry to get away from something.  
  
_'Strange,'_ she thought. 'What could scare a pack of wolves this much?'  
She smelled the air - there were no smells that could indicate a forest fire. What then? Standing up, she went into the cabin and quickly dressed herself. She wasn't sure what it could be, but she was willing to find out - it was better than staying bored for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up - Megatron makes an appearance!


	3. The Meeting

Locking the front door Y/n walked down the old wooden stairs and went in the direction from where the wolves came. Under her jacket a gun was hanging in it's holster - just because she healed quickly did not mean she would let anyone harm her in the first place. And if it was more of those jackasses who kidnapped her in the beginning of summer, she would shoot without hesitation. She walked cautiously, careful not to step on fallen branches, not to make herself known. Her e/c eyes effortlessly saw in the darkness and she tried to find anything unusual around.  
  
Then she heard it - sounds of what seemed to be construction going on. It was somewhere in the distance and Y/n started walking faster and then broke into a jog, impatient to see what caused the noise. When she was almost there, there was a huge flash of green in the distance, she could see the light above the trees. Immediately after that the sounds coming from ahead changed - it sounded more like...war. Something blowing up, sounds of machinery clashing, some noises she didn't even know how to describe. Y/n stopped in her tracks when she heard another explosion. Should she go further? It sounded dangerous. It wouldn't be wise.  
  
She was going. She suffered far stranger things in the last months than some military confrontation, she thought.  
  
She was so wrong.  
  
She saw that the forest ended abruptly, with a huge ravine ahead. She walked to the edge, expecting to see military men with guns and turrets and grenades. What she saw made her heart skip several beats and then start beating like crazy, she covered her mouth stifling a loud gasp.  
  
Robots. _'Cybertronians,'_ she corrected herself, remembering the word from her time aboard the crashed ship. Metal titans were fighting each other, each of their swings would mean certain death for a human, each of their steps made the ground shake, the sound of their clashing weapons reverberated through the night air. _'But how?'_ she thought. She was so certain that the giants whose ship she blew up were long dead or, at least, long gone from Earth. And now there's this many in one place.  
  
Trying to calm her nerves, Y/n quickly backed up from the edge and crouched, not wanting to be noticed but unable to pry her eyes from the battle. The ravine was lit with giant projectors, there was no doubt an excavation of sorts before the fighting started. Now the light only helped her to see what was going on more clearly. There were about three dozen of cybertronians and most of them looked identical, black and purple armor covering their bodies and red visors in place of eyes. But the ones they were fighting with, there were three of them - they all had bright blue eyes, one of the bots was yellow with black streaks, the other was red with, strangely, bull horns on his head and the third one was blue and it's shape was distinctly feminine. So the alien robots had genders too?  
Y/n followed the movements of the feminine-looking cybertronian and couldn't resist being impressed. Although she(?) was smaller than all of them, her movements were fierce, her shots and blows fatal. Y/n instinctively squinted her eyes when the blue mech dodged the attack of one of her opponents and blew his head off with her arm/blaster. The purple-black metal bodies were falling lifeless, glowing blue liquid spilling from their wounds like blood would from a human. Y/n remembered there was mention of some blue crystals in the temple, but she did not exactly have time to study everything there. Was there a correlation?  
And why were they fighting?  
Y/n noticed that though the three brightly-colored cybertronians fought skilfully and performed feats the young woman would never deem possible due to their sizes and robotic nature, they were getting overwhelmed. Was that good? Bad? Who was the aggressor in this confrontation?  
  
Just then, there was a thunderous sound of a jet flying above and Y/n looked up at the right moment to see a very strange-looking plane flying above her and...changing right in the air, becoming a giant-sized cybertronian.  
He landed with such force that the ground shook even where she was sitting.  The girl quickly saw that even among the already huge aliens he was a giant. She saw him from the back and as he walked towards the battlefield, his every step screamed power and danger and undeniable authority. His body was the color of grey steel with dark-purple elements, his hands bore sharp claw-like fingers and on his right hand there was what seemed to be a cannon. The three cybertronians became visibly nervous as he appeared and, making a hasty retreat, suddenly transformed into human vehicles and drove away just enough to put some distance between them and their enemies. A bright green portal appeared before them and disappeared after they fled into it.   
The battlefield went silent and all the black/purple mechs turned to the steel one and bowed their heads in great respect. Y/n was right, he had to be their leader.  
  
Now that the battle was over, Y/n had the time to try and think. Aliens were on Earth, seemingly the same kind that played mix-n-match with people's DNA thousands of years ago. There was some infighting among them, though. How long have they been on Earth? Surely the military and the government would notice them if they were having fights, their size alone enough to spot them or for them to leave evidence of their presense on the planet.  
While her mind desperately tried to process everything she has seen, her eyes followed the grey steel-colored giant. The young woman couldn't look away, it felt like watching an apex predator in the wild - you're aware of the danger, but you can't help but admire...Admire?

  
Sure, why not. It was an alien, some sort of leading one at that, it was certainly fascinating. Too bad it...he was still standing with his back to her, she was curious what color and form his eyes were.  
But she had to get away, she was there long enough and if she doesn't hurry and get out she will be discovered, be it by radars, scanners or laser eyes, whatever they have. The girl backed away, still crouching, until she was well in the forest and then walked a while very cautiously before finally running back to the cabin.  
  
Finally she reached a clearing where the small hunter's cabin stood. Letting out a relieved sigh, Y/n started walking forward. As she was almost on the porch, she heard a familiar dreadful sound before there was a loud crash behind her and the ground shook so violently that she lost her balance and fell to her arms and knees.  
  
"Ahh, I thought I sensed something watching me," she heard a baritone voice from high above her, it was gruff, somewhat gravely and monstrously powerful, and it made the blood freeze in her veins. Being in a state of shock so deep she couln't even scream Y/n slowly got up on her shaking legs and turned around.  
  
Red.  
His eyes were red.


	4. Sparing a Human

Red.  
His eyes were red.  
  
Fiery red, so intense Y/n's whole soul trembled and she could only stare wide-eyed, voice having escaped her.  The huge alien creature was looking into her e/c eyes, his expression unreadable. After a moment, his eyes dangerously narrowed.  
  
"It is rude not to answer when spoken to, human."  
"I-I'm sorry," she heard herself say much to his and her own surprise. The apology was instinctive, and, putting more meaning behind her words she spoke again, trying not to think of how powerful and dangerous the being before her was and how her heart was pounding at a rate so high that she was suprised she didn't have a heart attack yet.  
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just...I was startled, I hope you can understand why."

  
She absentmindedly waved her hand at the titan, clearly referencing his size. The cybertronian raised an optic ridge, this was not the reaction he expected from a femme of the primitive species. She interpreted it as a sign to continue.  
"My name is Y/n. I live here, so I heard the commotion and went to see what was happening," she explained, finally able to keep her voice somewhat calm and her breathing steady.  
"Is that so," the metal giant slowly said, his eyes closely studying Y/n's face for signs of treachery.  
"It is," the young woman nodded, keeping her back straight and looking back into his red eyes. Acting with dignity was about the only thing she was able to do now. This seemed to either amuse the alien or annoy him, she was not sure by the way his eyes narrowed again.  
"...Y/n, " the mech slowly said, trying the name on his glossa while looking over the small female again, now with more thought. She only nodded, noticing how the heartbeat that she calmed with such effort instantly quickened again.  
"Why are you here?" the alien questioned and Y/n was faced with a dilemma: should she tell him everything right now or should she keep her involvement with his race a secret? She was not a fan of spilling the information before she knew more about what was going on but how long would it take for him to figure out that she lied to him? By his look and behaviour she gathered he wasn't one to treat something like that lightly.  
  
Suddenly, another jet appeared, and, transforming in the air, landed somewhat behind the steel-colored giant, revealing to be one of those black and purple mechs.  
"Lord Megatron," the cybertonian spoke with a bow, seemingly not noticing the human. "I have gathered the information you requested. As you were still in the area I decided to bring it to you myself, sir."  
  
 _"Lord Megatron?"_ the young woman looked back to the larger mech. So his name was Megatron. And he was a ruler of sorts? Y/n had thought that he was some sort of military officer, but this was far beyond that. The realization must have been written on her face as a small smirk appeared on the cybertonian leader's face. The giant turned to face his subordinate.  
"We're leaving, you will report to me on the way to the Nemesis."  
"Affirmative, si-Sir!!"  
  
Y/n was now staring into the mechs blaster. Just her luck. Instinctively, she looks up at the steel-colored cybertronian in hopes that he calms one of his "men" down. He only chuckles darkly, but a moment later says:  
"Leave it."  
The subordinate looks up at him in what seems to be confusion, but immediately lowers his weapon as it transforms back into his arm.  
"I trust you won't be running to your species screaming about aliens anytime soon," his low voice is thick with mockery. Y/n lets out a nervous laugh.  
"I would rather not be seen as insane. And not be killed by you."  
The titan smirks, his steel-colored armor reflecting the first rays of the rising sun.  
"I will know if you attempt to flee," he warns and, with that, transforms into the strange jet and flies away together with his underling.  
  
".....Well then. Fuckitty fuck," the mentally exausted young woman said as she watched them dissapear in the distance.  
She left her life behind, moved to the middle of nowhere, avoided almost any contact with the outside world - and trouble still somehow found her.


	5. Surveillance

When the young woman returned to the humble cabin she now called home, she was so mentally and physically drained that she fell on her bed and was out within seconds.

Now she woke up and the earlier events made her panic more than her psyche could allow her the day before. She lay in her bed for some time, subconsciously unwilling to leave the safety she felt under the covers. Finally, after some time she forced herself to get up and get dressed. She debated internally if she needed to strap her gun to her side again, but decided that the most she could do with it was shoot one of huge metal aliens in the eye but definitely not take any of them down. So better stay on their good side and not be armed.

 

Y/n went to the kitchen to make herself some very late lunch. The girl made some tea and sandwiches and was about to sit at the table when out the corner of her eye she noticed something. Something that was never there before. Looking out the window she saw that there was a black sports car standing near the forest. Y/n's first thought was that someone from that strange military organization had found her and sent scouts. But then she thought about it more closely - a sports car in the middle of the woods, not very practical or military-like. Also, the car had familiar purple accents.

Leaving her food on the table and taking the tea with her, the young woman opened the front door and walked to the car, trying her best to look confident.  
"Hello there," she said as soon as she was near the vehicle.  
She got no response, however.  
"I know what you are, no use trying to seem like a normal car."  
Silence was her answer yet again. Ok, this was getting annoying, she really hated feeling like the stupid one in this situation. Raising her eyebrow, she tried again:  
"Your lord once said that it is rude not to answer when spoken to."  
The car didn't move, but Y/n could almost feel how tense the air around it got.  
"What do you need, human?" she finally heard the 'car' answer.  
"Funny, I came here to ask you he same question," Y/n let out a small laugh.  
"I was assigned to be your surveillance."

 

Oh. Oh, so that's how it was.

 

"May I ask why? It's not like one human would be of any threat to you," she narrowed her e/c eyes.  
"Of course not, you're just an insect."  
"Jee, thanks," the young woman rolled her eyes at the obviously 'high' regard which her race had among the aliens.  
"Lord Megatron gave me an assignment, I did not question. I don't get the point of keeping an optic on you either, but I have my orders," the car sighed.  
"Well..." the girl began thoughtfully, but then elected to sip some tea instead. Did Megatron gain knowledge of her connection to his race? Or did he really just want to keep an eye... _optic_ on her in case she loses her nerve and runs to the officials?  
"Well..?" her new aquaitance asked somewhat irritated.  
"Well, what's your name? I assume you probably know mine."  
"Yes, I do...Y/n. My designation is 5T3V3."  
"5T3V3. I'll remember that," the woman nodded.

 

Just then a drop of rain fell right on Y/n's nose.

 

  
"Oh, it's starting to rain," she looked up at the dark grey sky. It looked like it was going to last a while.  
"Fantastic," the mood of the alien seemed to drop several levels. "Your planet is stupid, human."  
"Y/n. And it's not stupid, your race is just not quite accustomed to it. Be right back," the young woman set her mug on a tree stump nearby, went around the house and walked into a small shack. A couple minutes later she returned with a big folded tarp in her hands.  
"Here, you can fasten it to the trees. I doubt you'd be happy to just cover yourself with it."  
The alien stayed silent for a moment but the rain suddenly got stronger, providing much needed motivation. He transformed and Y/n was able to take a good look at the mech without the danger of being blasted. The cybertronian crouched and extended a servo to her and Y/n put the tarp in his metallic palm.  
"Where do you have this from anyway?" the mech asked as he stood up and fastened the offered material to the branches to make a makeshift roof while Y/n took her mug and walked under a tree to hide from the rain.  
"The previous owner of the house had an RV - a big car where there's place for humans to eat and sleep - and he used to cover it with this," Y/n replied as she watched 5T3V3 fasten the last piece of the tarp.  
"So, 5T3V3, is water really such a bother to you?"  
"No, not really. Our alloy is not like your fragile human skin, we researched this 'rain' of your's when we first landed here, it doesn't carry any danger. The humidity on your planet is stupidly high, however, especially in certain places, so many of us check ourselves for unwanted rust far more often now."  
Y/n nodded thoughtfully.  
"So it's not that it's dangerous for you, you just don't like it?"  
"Well, would you like to stand in the rain for hours?"  
"...Point taken."  
The cybertronian sighed and finally looked at her.  
"It's a matter of preference. Some like to drive or fly when the weather is acting up, some don't. I just don't like water."  
"Well then good thing the tarp was here," a small smile appeared on the girls face, it was nice that the mech was finally normally talking to her - she hasn't had a normal conversation for two months.  
"Yes," the alien transformed back into his alt mode - Y/n watching his parts shift and his form change with amazement - and after a minute of thought, spoke again:  
"Why did you help me, hu-..Y/n?"  
The young woman shrugged and her smile became a little wider.  
"Well, you didn't choose to be on guard duty here and I didn't choose to be under surveillance. So, I guess, the smart thing to do is to try and make it not too tedious for each other."  
The 'car' stayed silent for a bit, then answered:  
"I can agree to that."

"So..." Y/n spoke up again and stepped closer to the alien. "Would it be annoying if I wanted to talk?"  
"I was instructed not to discuss anything of importance with you."  
"Oh," she nodded. It was a smart move security-wise, but it also let her keep her own secrets as well.  
"I understand, 5T3V3. But it doesn't have to be important, we could just chat for a while. I haven't spoken to anyone for two months, so at this point I don't care what we talk about."  
5T3V3 was silent for a couple of moments, but then said:  
"You know, me and some mechs were wondering about a number of human things, want to clarify for me?..."

 

 


	6. Meet My (Not So) Little Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n spends some quality time with a certain Vehicon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO LISTEN.
> 
> REMEMBER HOW I SAID I HAD 3 CHAPTERS?
> 
> I kiiinda sat down to edit, got inspired and wrote 3 more chapters.  
> Three full chapters.  
> Fourth one's on the way.
> 
> People who are waiting for Undertale stuff must hate me:'((
> 
> But hey, umm, here's a huge Steve Chapter! :'D
> 
> Also, Sharkticons. Nope, not shying away from that, nope. Embrace the strange and the wonderful of the Transformers lore XD  
> Also-also, I'm using meters. ATTENTION, meters! Don't hate me, I just can't ft and inch X_x

 

At first, it was kind of awkward. The alien was almost always there, leaving only for an hour or so every day, probably to refuel or something. Not that she would be stupid enough to try and escape, there was probably someone watching her in that time too, anyway.

  
  
Was it better to spend the majority of the time not bothering him or was it rude? On the second day of being watched, she tried keeping him company. On the third, she tried to give him some space. When that same evening the black&purple car drove up to the porch and started a conversation with a 'I'm _so_ bored, even a convo with human will do', she came to a conclusion that he wasn't the silent type.

  
On the 4th day she started jogging again - the 'car' had to begrudgingly accompany her.  
On the 5th day she showed the alien some places she liked - he wasn't particularly impressed at first, but then admitted that all the 'greens and blues' blended together nicely.  
On the 6th day it was raining, so Y/n had spent the day listening to endless complaints about humidity and dirt.  
On the 7th day it was raining still, but the 'sportscar' obliged to spend it in the shack that she emptied of her stuff. In thanks, the alien switched on Youtube on a holoscreen and the two spent the day looking up stuff.  
It wasn't raining on the 8th day, but the two still spent it looking at stuff online. The alien robot had a heap of questions on human behavior and culture and Y/n didn't see any reason not to explain. Sometimes, though, she just had to shrug and say that 'some people are strange/idiots'.  
The 9th day was sunny and beautiful, and Y/n spent it near the lake, swimming and reading. Her ~~prison guard~~ new friend, surprisingly, enjoyed standing in the sun and getting properly warmed up, to the point of even transforming to let the sunlight reach more of him.  
The 10th day was also spent at the lake. They spoke on the book she was reading and it was the first day when the young woman caught herself forgetting the situation she was in, even if only momentarily. The alien wasn't what one could call an intellectual, but he was witty and had opinions, and Y/n was glad to have him as a conversation partner. Even if he laughed at the idea of a 'little thing' like her reading about military combat tactics.  
On the 11th day, the bot watched Y/n climb onto the roof of the cabin to check the shingles and then paint the shack. When asked, he had no interest in getting his digits covered in paint, but he did provide moral support, switching on the radio and giving 'very helpful' advice.  
Day 12 was a boring day for the alien, as Y/n was sitting on the porch all day, reading university books and filling out self-examination tests. They had a riveting conversation on why she would waste her time on that, Y/n answering that even if she wasn't a student(anymore) she still wanted to learn things and not let her mind grow over with moss. It took a couple of minutes for the bot to scan the entire internet to make sure that moss couldn't grow on a living human's brain. He _did,_ however, find out about the game 'The Last of Us' and the fungi Cordyceps. He was _fucking terrified_.  
On Day 13 they played 'The Last of Us'. After a few hours of gaming and after seeing the ending, Y/n was very glad about how affected her metal acquaintance was by it. Maybe, just maybe, cybertronians really weren't that different from humans.  
The 14th day started with the bot telling her how three dozen Vehicons didn't get almost any recharge time because they were playing the game. He blamed her. She was OK with that. He also caught her dancing and singing along to some song while she was tending to the small garden she had. He laughed a lot. He then asked her to sing and dance some more. She locked herself in the cabin.

  
And so, it was 10:17 AM, Day 15 now.

  
  
"You can't be serious."  
"I am."  
"But...why?"  
"People can be really stupid."  
  
A chuckle originated from the sleek black &purple sportscar.  
"Not a very complimentary light to be shining on your own species."  
"Oh puh-leeease," Y/n rolled her eyes, smiling at the alien knowingly, "Try and tell me that each and every cybertronian is a genius and impeccable in every way."  
5T3V3, or Steve for easier pronunciation, immediately made a somewhat awkward noise that suggested that he could name quite a few individuals who, in fact, weren't geniuses. Like, at all. Y/n chuckled.  
"Thought so."  
"Still, me and the guys couldn't understand why would someone willingly stick their servo anywhere near a Sharkticon...shark, I mean."  
"Alcohol influence? For views on YouTube? Fratboy bravado?" the girl shrugged and got up from the garden chair."Don't tell me you and 'the guys' don't do anything stupid occasionally."  
Steve went silent again.

  
  
Two weeks have passed since she met Steve and, by now, it was routine for her to wake up, make a hot drink of her choice and then drink it while having a conversation with her new alien pal. 5T3V3 got accustomed to it surprisingly quickly, but Y/n guessed that was because it could get pretty boring if he had to just stand there, keeping watch over some puny human AND do it without any company. Neither of them knew why he still had to - she was obviously not a threat - but they came to appreciate each other's company, so they weren't complaining.

  
Walking over to the vehicle, she carefully reached out and picked up a couple of leaves that landed on the windshield not a minute ago, when a gust of wind tore them from a nearby tree.

 

  
It was the 10th of September and autumn began its reign, making mornings colder and leaves more colorful with each passing day.

 

  
  
"You do know I won't just up and crash from those little gross things," Steve reminded, his voice thoughtful yet not free of amusement.  
"Yeah, I know," the young woman smiled at the car, looking at nothing at particular as she had no idea what served as Steve's optics while he was in this form, "Just making sure those _perfectly natural, harmless_ things won't irritate you. Or are you getting more tolerant of organic things, is Earth growing on you?"  
  
As she narrowed her eyes, curious if she was right, the 'con gave what sounded like a smirk.  
  
"Don't flatter yourself, _human_ , your 'Earth' is not the first organic planet we've visited in all our years of...travelling."  
"Yaya, you mentioned, _cybertronian_ ," Y/n threw herself back into a lawn chair and covered herself with a wool blanket, "Would be nice to hear about at least some of it."  
".....It's-"  
"-'not permitted for you to tell me anything of importance, that means your travel logs or history.' " Y/n sighed and took her mug of still warm tea from the stump near the chair. She wasn't angry at Steve for keeping things from her, he had his orders and she had seen his superior. Not someone she wanted to get Steve - or herself - in trouble with.  
  
Then again, while it allowed her to keep her own secrets it was annoying to get so little with which to satisfy her curiosity.  
Sometimes, when her new acquaintance would forget himself or she would get him talking, she would catch little pieces of information that she then connected to what she knew from the place where she got her powers awakened...and where she killed a couple dozens of people.

  
  
Yeah, no, still not sorry about that.

  
  
Anyway, Steve was a nice guy, she thought. She didn't know him for long, he was an alien and he kept a lot to himself so she couldn't say she trusted him a 100 percent, but from what he said and how he said it, she concluded that he was OK.  He wasn't exceedingly logical or cold like one could expect a 'robot-looking' alien to be - Y/n was surprised when she noticed that the cybertronian was somewhat simple-minded, sometimes clumsy even, which didn't stop him from being curious, sarcastic, funny and actually a nice conversation partner.

  
  
If he wasn't faking all of that, then it gave Y/n at least some hope that all could end well both for her and for Earth.

  
  
  
However, even if she was slowly allowing herself to trust this one 'con, she couldn't say she trusted the two armies of alien robots that were prancing around Earth, hiding from the authorities.

She was smart and cautious, so she knew that making 'friends' with a cybertronian, objectively speaking, didn't mean anything. Steve could be pretending or not, but even if she wanted and chose to believe that he warmed up to her - he was a soldier. One word from Megatron and she's either a pile of ash or a wet smudge on the ground. Megatron and his Decepticons could be on Earth for reasons that didn't concern humanity and could actually depart when they were done, no harm to humans having been done. Or not. After all, who calls themselves _'Decepticons'_ and then proceeds to do good stuff?

  
  
Them, said Steve. There's a noble reason for the name, he said. He can't tell her, though, he said.

  
  
"Looking sour there," the bots voice ripped her out of her thoughts and Y/n gave him a half-sincere smile.  
"Just making up my own theories about you guys, since you won't tell me anything."  
"Oh yeah? Like what?"  
"Like that Energon stuff actually being like some kind of a drug and the scuffle that I saw two weeks ago was some kind of a gang shooting over the goods," the young woman smirked.  
She knew that Energon was a kind of fuel/nutrition for the aliens. Didn't mean she would show her cards. With luck, she could still get out of this with the aliens being none the wiser about her being anything other than a regular boring human.

  
  
Steve made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cough.  
  
"Nah, that's a different kind of Energon. The one we're mining can be made to resemble your alcohol, though. Primus, I'd go for a cube of quality high-grade En right about now..."  
  
Oh. _That_ she didn't know. Interesting!  
Y/n listened carefully for anything else her new pal could tell her, but his mind seemed to drift off, probably to thoughts of that 'high-grade' stuff he mentioned.  
"Are there any good places where you can get some high-grade?" she asked, keeping her voice casual, hoping it would keep the Decepticon talking.  
"Nah, they don't serve high-grade in the mess-hall, the one they serve in the R &R common room is so expensive that practically only officers can afford it on a regular basis, and the self-made stuff some bots make is a risk half the time, blegh," Steve sighed, the sadness in his tone evident.  
"Well, that's a bummer," Y/n agreed sympathetically.  
"Understatement of the millennia," the car smirked, "Though, we don't get many chances to have some R&R nowdays anyway, Lord Megaron's got us working on something or other almost all the time."  
"Huh, well he didn't look like someone who would be a particularly easy-going boss," even if she was successful in emoting an understanding expression, behind her kind smile, deep down in her soul there was a cold sticky feeling as she remembered the gray metal giant with his red, predatory eyes.  
"Ya think? I still can't believe he left you alive for some reason...no offense," Steve smirked again, but then added with a seriousness Y/n heard almost exclusively when he spoke about their leader, "But he _is_ Lord Megatron, so whatever he says goes."

  
If Y/n learned one thing, it was that Steve and his comrades knew and accepted no higher authority than Megatron. He could be spoken of with fear or reverence, but always, _always_ with undeniable respect.

  
Y/n was so curious about the alien lord but knew better than to ask. Her numerous attempts just reminded Steve to keep his mouth shut and she really didn't want to get back to square one where it would take a couple days for Steve to get chatty about cybertronian stuff again.  
So the young woman just nodded, expressing her agreement with what the Decepticon said.

 

  
  
...But seriously, what noble reason there could be to call yourself _"Decepticon"_?

 

  
  
Anyway, her mug was empty now. Time for a jog.

  
  
The girl got up, draping the blanket around her shoulders to let it hang superhero-style and began making her way towards the cabin to get dressed for jogging. The action didn't go unnoticed, however.  
"What, think you're Superman?"  
" _Clearly_ , I'm Batman," she asked, not looking back at the 'car' and trying to sound insulted.  
"Judging by what I've read about Batman and seen of you, you're not rich enough to be Batman."  
"Oh, that was mean," she rolled her eyes, smiling while she went up to the porch.

  
"Well, at least your creators are not offline, so that's good."

  
  
Instantly, she turned around, looking at the 'car', her eyes wide and demanding.  
"Did you check?"  
"Huh?"  
"Did. You. Check? Did you find info on my family on the internet or a database _and check?_ " she asked, her voice cracking once, betraying her desperate need to know.  
"Uuh, yeah," Steve answered, clearly not understanding the urgency, "Checked yesterday, I think, was curious and stuff. Your femme creator was on that Facebook thing, the other creator was reading something online."

  
  
It felt like a mountain was pushed off her chest and shoulders, she felt lightheaded, the hand holding her mug felt weak.

  
  
"Thanks, Steve," she said quietly, knowing that he would hear her even from the porch. Leaving the somewhat confused bot behind, she went into the cabin to get dressed for the jog. She had spent some extra time getting ready, making sure that the Decepticon wouldn't notice the slight redness around her eyes.

 

  
  
***

 

  
  
"So you do this every day?" Steve asked, driving alongside her as she ran along the road.

  
  
Jogs through the forest were something the 'con couldn't accompany her on(it was _very_ uncomfortable for him where trees were smaller or grew close to each other), so she proposed she'd jog along abandoned old dirt roads that were once used by forest rangers and lumberjacks instead. She was a model ~~prisoner~~ ~~detainee~~ witness, she thought. There was still hope they'll leave her alone as soon as they're done with that mine of theirs.  
  
"Started about two months ago, about two weeks after I moved in here," she answered, not the least bit breathless, "I prefer to skip it on rainy days, though. I'd rather take a long walk under an umbrella or play video games all day then."  


At first, it was astounding, invigorating and scary - she could run marathons without being too exhausted, she could run faster than ever. Something was definitely messing with her biology, but all the curiosity and worry she had wouldn't be able to make her to go to a doctor. Too much of a risk that _those guys_ would find her. Or the lab results showing something that would get the FBI on her doorstep. Nope. NOPE.

  
  
"Doesn't it get boring, just running?" the alien asked again, his slow pace getting on his nerves no doubt.  
  
_"Well, I gotta be in shape if you're going to start chasing after me with the intent to kill me,"_ she thought. Through the woods, she thought, she'd definitely try and escape the bot through the woods, the alien would at least be inconvenienced by the trees.  
"I usually listen to music and run by some pretty beautiful places," she explained, trying to sound cheerful. Gotta stay positive, after all. Until now, Steve was a pretty swell guy.  
"It's a wonder how you didn't spot our operation earlier, then. We've been here for a week before you came by and made me a damn sparkling-sitter."  
"Well, as far as I was concerned, there was only a ravine that way, so not the most picturesque place to jog by," she smirked, "Oh and _sorry_ for inconveniencing you by being your prisoner."  
"Apology accepted," Steve said smugly and Y/n let out an exasperated laugh. Stopping to chuckle for a bit, she looked at the vehicle with curiosity.  
"You said you guys hacked our satellites so that no one can see you from space. Doesn't that mean that you can run around here in your ro-errr, bot mode?"  
The black and purple car stopped too and was silent for a moment.  
"So? It's just a question of which part of me I get dirty."  
"Well, aren't you getting a bit stirr-crazy? At least you can stretch the cables in those metallic limbs a bit."

"...Admit it, you just wanna see the 'giant robot', right?"  
"I won't deny that," Y/n smiled widely. She had only a couple of chances to see Steve in his humanoid form, so the curiosity was very much still there.

  
  
It was this torturous state she was in for the past 2 weeks -  between knowing she was a step away from being killed on Megatron's orders, trying to come up with ways to escape if the order was given, wanting to know more about the cybertronians and genuinely wanting to just try and be friends with the Steve.

  
  
The alien made a sound that seemed to be a smirk.  
"Stand back, Y/n."  
  
She obliged and stepped back. She was happy she didn't get distracted by anything, because it seemed that it didn't take even two seconds for the sportscar to transform into an about 6,5 meter tall alien robotic organism.  
The young woman was sure that no matter how many times she saw the transformation and the cybertronian form, she would always spend at least a second to be awestruck. In these moments she always felt reminded of how fragile and small her own body was.

  
  
"I'm handsome, I know," Steve put his servo on his hip, satisfaction in his tone.    
"You sure are," Y/n chuckled.

 _"He'll kill you within a millisecond if he gets the order,"_ her mind reminded her. Right, don't get carried away, you're not friends, not really. Then again, nothing would come of being hostile towards the mech in front of her. He was, after all, just a soldier following orders.  
  
"I-I am?" the Decepticon seemed to stutter as he received the compliment. Y/n chuckled again, forcefully pushing the grim thoughts away and relaxing a bit again.  
"Sure you are. I bet _all_ the femmes and mechs are crazy for that black paint job and witty personality of yours," she teased a bit.  
"There's literally tens of hundreds of Vehicons with my frame type on the Nemesis," Steve deadpanned.  
"Oh, none of them can pull it off like you," Y/n laughed softly, taking pride in how the alien looked himself over after the comment."Did I make you uncomfortable? I'm sorry."

  
  
Her wide smile clearly showed that she wasn't sorry. It was just so nice to fool yourself into having a bit of fun and not thinking about anything.

  
  
"We, eh, don't do much of complimenting on the ship," Steve explained, looking at how the September sun made the metal of his arm guard shine.  
"Oh," she answered quietly.  
  
Right. A military ship full of military staff. Not a likely place for pleasantries.  
  
"Well, all I meant was that you really do look cool," she shrugged and stretched a bit, indicating that she was going to start running again soon.  
"...Thanks. I guess I _am_ quite a handsome mech, huh?" the Vehicon mused.  
Y/n chuckled and rolled her eyes.  
Just as she was about to begin running again, Steve spoke up:  
"Hey, you're not flirting with me, are you?"

 

  
She tripped and almost fell face first into an ant house.

  
  
"What?"  
"Just checking."

  
  
"Oh no, no, **no** ," the young woman turned around and looked at the alien demandingly and beyond curious. "You don't get to say that and then go all 'oh nah it's nothing', nope. This certainly isn't any strategically important info, so come on, tell me. Is that...a thing? Did cybertronians...and humans-"  
  
"WELL, NOT ANY DECEPTICON I KNOW, NO," the 'con raised his servos up defensively and waved them nervously, clearly flustered, "Like, don't get any ideas, it's real uncommon for us to bond with other races, especially for us Decepticons, 'cause, umm- but it has happened, so, you know, eeeeh..."  
  
It seemed like Steve's visor would display a Windows blue screen of death any second now and it was hilarious.  
  
"Ok, let's both calm down," Y/n giggled and crossed her arms, looking up at the alien."I'm not flirting, that was just a genuine compliment and some friendly teasing. But I'm real curious now, can you please tell me a bit?"  
"I guess," the black-and-purple metal giant scratched his helm thoughtfully, having calmed down a bit.  
  
Y/n smiled. Finally, some info on something. And something interesting at that.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
  
So, apparently, it wasn't something extraordinary for a cybertronian to get involved with someone of another sentient species. Very uncommon, but not unheard of.

  
  
That's...wow.

  
  
As far as Y/n understood, however, humanity was considered a primitive race and, by Steve's own confession, before he met Y/n he thought that one couldn't even have an intelligent conversation with a human. Then again, he didn't bother to research humans.  
  
"But humans build satellites and have nanotech, and nucleosynthesis and stuff," the girl argued as she sat near the lake where her jog brought them. Steve sat only a couple of meters away, watching ducks swim on the water.  
"That's baby-science, you don't have to be too intelligent to do that!"

  
  
Oh. Ouch, burn. Then again...

 

  
"Do you know how to create new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons?"  
"...Shut up."  
"Ha! Humanity - 1, Steve - 0," Y/n smirked victoriously.  
"Come on, I already admitted that your race probably isn't as stupid as it looks," even with his visor, the girl could swear that the bot was rolling his optics.  
"What a compliment, I'm at a loss for words," she dramatically gestured, pressing her palm to her chest.  
"I'm 99,8% sure that was sarcasm."  
"Good assumption, Mister Roboto."  
"I could squish you, you know."

  
  
And, just like that, reality came crashing back through her carefully put up barrier. Right, don't forget why the giant alien robot was here in the first place.

  
  
"...I do," Y/n sighed, her gaze becoming heavy, a mixture of seriousness and sadness in her e/c eyes.  
"Hey, I didn't mean that, okay?" the Decepticon immediately said, sensing her change of mood.  
"Until you get that order from your lord, right?" she sighed again, anger taking only a small part in her tone. No point in being mad at the executioner.  
Steve remained silent.

 

  
  
***

 

 

  
"What?"  
"Did your audio receptors get damaged or something? Get in," the black sports 'car' repeated, a note of annoyance in its voice.

  
Never in these two weeks has Steve ever mentioned the idea. Y/n didn't even think about the option beyond the times when her mind would wander off.

  
"You serious?"  
Steve gave an exasperated sigh as tiny drops of water fell onto his alt mode's form.  
"It's raining, we're far from your home and I don't want to drag slowly through the mud while you run at your pathetic human speed....I also may feel a little, tiny bit bad about earlier. Maybe. You didn't hear that."

  
Well, that was a nice thing to say after talking like a jerk.

  
"Ok, I guess," Y/n stepped closer and the door to the driver's seat opened by itself,"I'll try to be careful."  
True to her word, she wiped her feet on the grass and carefully climbed into the 'car', looking over the interior with curiosity.  
"Am I as beautiful on the inside as on the outside?" she heard Steve's teasing voice from the dashboard, making her chuckle.  
"Of course you are, you're the most beautiful Disney princess of all."  
"Thank- HEY. Don't make me throw you out!"  
  
Revving his engine, the 'con drove off, quickly reaching an optimal speed for driving on such a mess of a road.  
  
"You know, it's been so long since I was in a car," Y/n suddenly said, her tone nostalgic, "I didn't ever own one, so..."  
"Is riding in a car something you miss?" Steve's voice sounded curious, not at all dismissive.

  
  
Sometimes Y/n just _really_   wanted to be more gullible and trusting and not constantly in doubt whether he really was just an OK guy or someone who was instructed to play along for now.

  
  
"I guess, yeah," she let herself sink into the seat and looked at the road in front of them. It reminded her of the trips she used to have with her family."I always liked the whole process of traveling. And it's always better to do so in a car than a public transport."  
"So why not buy a car?"  
"Oh yeah, just go and buy it," Y/n chuckled, "Those things are expensive and I had rent to pay."  
"You humans are too complicated."  
"Sure are," the young woman smirked, "But I'd never be able to buy anything as cool as your alt mode anyway. Even if I'd sell half of my organs and add my soul as a bonus."  
"Yeah...I bet my spark isn't worth the amount it would cost to buy a couple of cubes of premium quality high-grade."  
"At least your arm turns into an awesome blaster."  
"Yeah, that's true I guess."

  
  
The rest of the way was spent with them bantering and listening to the radio.

 

  
  
  
***

 

  
  
_Fuck._

  
  
It was almost 3 AM and her heart was beating like crazy, her hands clutching the sheets to a near-ripping point.  
  
Were her parents really out of danger? Did she get rid of all of the guys who were after her back then? Was there someone left?  
Were these aliens really not a threat? Were they just after the Energon? Would they leave? Would they launch an attack on Earth? But what stopped them from doing that now? Or earlier? The governments of Earth are clearly not prepared for giant alien robots. Or are they? Maybe they are. Maybe they know. Or not. Probably not.  
  
What would happen to her? Would the Decepticons kill her? Leave her? Would the fact that the Decepticons no longer tampered with satellite imaging help that shady military group find her?  
What has already happened to her? What was happening to her body that made her stronger, faster and more durable? Her skin felt the same, her bones too. She lost some weight, but she concluded that it was from jogging, swimming and hiking.  
  
Still. She always tried to be at least competent in medical knowledge, in basic physiology. She knew that an average human couldn't do what she did, out of the blue no less. Running like that, becoming stronger than was normal for her, being able to keep her breath under water for 30 minutes without any problem. The world record was 24 minutes and that was by a male freediver, not a young girl without any previous experience aside from recreational swimming.  
Also. She ate, yet she didn't need to go to the toilet. That was strange, wasn't it? It definitely was. She had to feel bloated or sick - she didn't. It's like food disintegrated within her or something. Why? That's not natural.

  
  
What was she? What was she? What was she?

  
And this mindboggling ability to heal herself, from - probably - near death. Her hearing and sight improving. Her balance and reaction time improving. Her being able to sense people nearby. To become unnoticeable almost as if she was invisible.

  
  
She tossed and turned.

  
  
The Decepticons may have the answer to that. Or they may not. They could try and experiment on her. Or try to use her for her 'original purpose' - as in, serving them. Wasn't that why cybertronians genetically altered her ancestors? To serve? To help with something?  
To be a sheepdog among the sheep that was humanity?

  
  
She clutched the covers close to her chest with a huff and a soft broken sob.

  
No. She shouldn't tell them. They'll be done soon and, with luck, depart and she'll never see them again. And then she'll forget all this like a strange dream. She'll forget those haunting red optics, it would be like she never met someone who would have been readily accepted as a god by people of ages past.  
  
Doesn't matter what she is. She'll lay low for a couple of years, then try and start a new life with a new name.

 

  
  
02:59...03:00

 

  
With a groan, she threw the covers aside and sat up on her bed. Her eyes unnaturally quickly adjusting to the darkness, Y/n stood up and threw on her robe, the warm fuzzy fabric bringing at least some measure of comfort.  
  
A heavy sigh and light footsteps sounded too loud in the silent, dark room.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
" _Why_ are you not sleeping?" she heard Steve's sleepy voice as he slowly drove out of the shack-turned-garage. Obviously, the one in charge of keeping watch was the one who Morpheus offered the sweetest embrace of sleep to.  
"Can't," she answered simply, a puff of warm air coming from her mouth. The nights were getting cold fast. "Did I wake you when I was getting on the roof?"  
"I wasn't sleeping!" the 'con stubbornly argued, making Y/n smile in amusement. Even with all of her doubts, she couldn't argue that she warmed up to the alien.  
"Of course you weren't," she agreed easily, as she tried to sit a bit more comfortably on the shingles, "Sorry for disturbing you. I'll just be here for a while, you can go back to your _very important work_."  
  
The Vehicon transformed, instantly being able to be at eye level with her. At its most, the cabin gave her a highpoint of 4 or 4,5 meters while Steve was easily 6,5.  
The glowing red visor cast a soft red light onto her when the alien leaned extremely close, inspecting her.  
  
"Are your recharge protocols malfunctioning? You seem to have a problem with resting at night," the mech wondered as he raised a servo and carefully poked her side with a sharpened digit.  
"Hey!" Y/n chuckled and playfully tried to swat the metal finger away.  
"Well, what's your problem?"  
"I have a lot to think about," she sighed, not really having the strength to either explain herself or to think of a lie.  
"You seem like the type to fill your processor with too much info," the mech agreed, nodding and poking her again, this time out of sheer amusement.  
"Stop that," she said, although her smile betrayed that she wasn't bothered by the alien's curiosity.  "And aaw, are you saying I'm smart?"  
"I'm saying you overthink things. Don't have to be smart things," the mech smirked smugly, finally taking his servo away.  
"Gee, thanks, Steve, you know how to cheer a girl up," the young woman chuckled, this time the smile seemed to stay on her lips a little longer.

  
There was a short silence.

  
"Your hair looks nice. Your shoes match your clothes very well. Eeeh-Is that a new kind of perfume that you are wearing?" the alien said, his voice unsure like he was fumbling in the dark and his voice quick and drone-y like he was-  
"Steve, are you reading that off the internet?"  
"...Possibly."  
  
That was the moment when Y/n broke out into laughter.

  
"Okay, it worked, thanks!"  
"I'll leave a like under the article then."  
"Ahahah, you do that!"

  
  
...

  
  
"You really do like looking at the night sky, don't you? I've noticed."  
"I do," she easily confessed, shrugging.  
"Shame I can't bring you to the Nemesis, then. When you stand on the roof, it's like you can just reach out and touch those things."  
Y/n looked at the mech, surprise flashing in her eyes.  
"You go stargazing there? Never would have thought."  
"I, ehh, don't. I just ran into someone there while looking for them."  
"Oh," she nodded and was about to say something, but suddenly heard something. An alarm on her phone, from one of the many cameras she hid in the forest. Then another alarm. And another.  
  
Eyes growing cold, expression unreadable, she looked at the still relaxed 'con.

  
"Steve, what were your orders if someone came to take me away?"  
"Eeh, stop them, I guess?" the now confused alien answered, his helm turned to the side in confusion.  
"What were your orders if someone came to kill me?"  
"I didn't get orders for such a specific situation. Why?"  
"Check your scanners. Someone is coming."

 

 


	7. The Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People die when they are killed.  
> Pretty much murder chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Hey. Today's my Birthday, January 19th.  
> So I'll be adding random facts in the notes. Just for giggles.  
> Fun fact about the author#1: She was freakishly good at mock-sword battles when she was a kid. Like, to the point of boys running to their grandmas to complain.(But there are no swords in this chapter. Because there's no logical reason for them to be here. A shame, 'cause the author likes swords.)  
> Fact#2: The author was also a very good tree climber. But that didn't get her any praise because it just terrified her mother and ruined her clothes most of the time.

 

"Can you just tell me who it is?" Steve's voice rang through her earpiece as the clearly confused mech tried to look into the cabin through the window. Funny how the thing turned out to be more than a convenient jog&talk tool it was intended to be when she bought it.  
"Too little time. What do your scanners say?" Y/n asked as she strapped an army knife to her tight, next to three smaller throwing knives. The most practice she had with knives was on trees and on a couple of unfortunate rabbits, but it had to be enough.  
"12 armed male humans. 500 meters to contact, closing in slowly."

  
  
Ta-dum, ta-dum, ta-dum. Her own heartbeat was too loud right now. Take a breath, calm down.

  
  
"Shit," she cursed, putting on a black hoodie, "Why couldn't it just be some boy scouts...What did your superiors say? Will you get involved?"  
"Nothing, I- wait. Y/n, something happened."  
"Of course. If everything can go wrong, it will. Fuck," she cursed under her breath as she strapped on her tree-climbing gloves - perfectly fitting tough things, with razor sharp cat/owl-like claws attached to them - to her belt.

  
  
"Y/n, you don't understand, I- I have to go!"

  
" _What?!_ " she cried out involuntarily, panic taking over her, eyes instantly getting wet."Steve, I- this is- _I can't-!_ "  
"I know, but I just got orders! I'm sorry, I am!" the mech sounded genuinely panicked and ashamed.  
She hoped he'd help her, she was subconsciously counting on it. But she was right all along, no amount of buddy talk would ever mean he was anything more than a soldier that was assigned to watching her. Sad. She'll maybe cry about that later. If she survives.  
  
"...Go," she suddenly said, voice cold and hard as steel.  
"Y/n, I-"  
"Go. Get out of here, get the fuck out," she repeated, seemingly losing all interest in the alien, like he didn't exist anymore."It was fun. Bye."  
"I...I'm real sorry, I'll come back as soon as-"  
"Oh stop with the friendliness act and get out. You have your orders, go," she almost hissed.  
  
She saw out of the corner of her eye how the mech, still in bot form, took a few steps back, hesitated a second and then disappeared into the forest, the darkness quickly obscuring him from view  
In the end, she thought, you can only depend on yourself.

  
_Click_ \- the magazine slid into the handgun perfectly.  
Okay, breathe. Focus. There were things worse than death awaiting her if she screwed up.  
  
Should she run to the mine? At least Megatron or his troops would definitely kill her attackers. And her - for intentionally exposing cybertronians to humans, but she'd take that over being abducted by those bastards.  
  
Good, then, if all else fails, she'll make her way towards the Energon mine. Megatron looked like a guy who could deliver a swift death.

 

  
  
Another proximity alert went off on her phone. 350 meters.

 

  
  
Inhale. Exhale.

  
Let's go.

 

  
  
*******  


 

  
When the group of twelve arrived to the cute little cabin, they stopped where the tree line ended, hiding in the shadows. The group leader gestured to the sides, indicating that it was time to split up. That they did, forming four groups of three people each and making their way to their objective.  
These people were professionals, Y/n thought as she watched them from the shadows of the house. Her keen eye picked out the insignia on their gear, her now being absolutely sure who came for her. She then made her way towards the latter to the roof.  
  
They go in, she goes out. Try to pick them off one by one.  
That's the plan.  
Just breathe.  
Breathe.  
Concentrate, remember how you can make people not notice you, use the darkness to your advantage.

  
  
_Just._

  
_Breathe._

  
  
The first one to die was the guy who stood watch outside the shack while his partners checked inside. She snuck up behind him almost laughably easy, concentrating on keeping her heart steady, her footsteps light and her thoughts focused on the fact that she was nothing, nowhere, just air, just darkness. A single bullet from a handgun with a silencer right through the skull and a man became a corpse.  
  
Damn, bodies must be really heavy, she thought as she quickly dragged the dead soldier to the side. Good thing she had that enhanced strength, otherwise she couldn't even drag a man in this much gear, much less quickly hide him from view.  
Just when she was done, the door to the shack opened to reveal two other men. A knife she threw hit the first one in the neck as perfectly as it hit the targets she usually placed on trees. Made a much more gurgly, wet sound, though. Not a moment later, the second man got a bullet to the eye.  
She dragged the bodies back into the shack, the soft sound of corpses sliding across grass and floor obscured by the leaves as they rustled in the chilly September wind.

  
Bodies. The scent of blood. The sticky liquid, black in the darkness of the shack, pooling under the corpses. Don't look at the bodies. Don't look at the bodies. Don't.

  
  
She put in an earpiece she took from her first kill, her eyes concentrating on the door as she clenched the gun in her hand and strapped two 'borrowed' grenades - a flash and a normal one - to her belt. She read how to use them. She watched a lot of videos online. If that wouldn't be enough, she could always hope that her arm would grow back. Eventually.

  
  
"-ute pajamas. You sure we're looking for some superfreak?"  
"Shut up, Higgs. If I don't bring the specimen back this time, command will have my head and throw my credibility out the window. Team Beta - what's in the basement?"  
"About to check."  
"I swear, if I hadn't been given stupid mercs instead of trained soldiers, we would be done already."  
"Well, boo-hoo, be glad they didn't shoot you for getting that mountain blown up."  
"Shut it. Team Gamma, everything clear near the entrance?"  
"No one spotted since you guys came in. The rocking chair is neat tho."  
"Fucking idiot, I ought to-"  
  
Damn, he'll probably hail the team she took out next. Time to move.  
  
The next time she killed, it was when Team Gamma went to investigate why Team Delta wasn't answering.  
The first kill was fast and clean due to them not expecting it - come up to the last one in formation, stick a knife in his temple, gently place him on the grass, hide.  
They noticed almost immediately, though, so there was no time for stealth. The second team member got a treatment similar to that of his colleague from Delta - a shot through the eye.  
The third one, however, hid behind the shack wall, called in back up and began firing at her, two bullets finding their target, hitting her in the arm and side. She cried out, clutching her side with her good hand. The feeling of hot sticky blood pumping through her fingers was sobering and dizzying at the same time.

  
Shit.

  
  
She hastily retreated into the woods, into the darkness, leaving a trail of blood behind. Not good. She hoped those wounds would close up soon as she blinked the tears away and tried not to make any sounds.  
Here, in the silence of the forest, she could hear faint battle sounds. Were the Decepticons and those other bots at it again?  
Concentrate, she harshly reminded herself.  
Five down, seven to go. But now they know she's there.

  
Breathe. Inhale, exhale. Calm, collected. The wounds hurt, she could cry later.

  
  
Somehow, there was a strange cold calmness inside her, the stubborn refusal to panic, to be their victim again. Her body began healing, pushing out the bullets through the way they came in and sealing the wounds, so when she reached her preferred hiding place she already wasn't leaving a dark red trail behind.  
She climbed a tree with a thankfully lush crown and concentrated on staying 'invisible'. At the same time, she tried to sense where the mercs and their leader were. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was better at hiding that seeking. Fortunately, she still had the earpiece.  
  
"-ends. Fuckin', Higgs, stop arguing! Take team Beta, put on your NV goggles and go left. Team Alpha - with me to the right."  
  
Okay, four go to the left, three to the right. Wearing night vision goggles.  
  
As she felt people approaching and then heard footsteps, she held her breath and tried to concentrate.  
Nothing. She is nothing. Nothing to see or hear or feel.  
As four people passed under her without so much as slowing down, she was ready to celebrate.

  
  
"Hey wait, look at this shit! What could have left claw marks like these?"

  
  
Crap, her tree-climbing gloves.  
  
"Leave it, Vanko, let's go."  
  
Yes, leave it, Vanko. Go.  
  
"Nah-nah, I know animal, started as a poacher, remembah?"  
"Fuckin- Let's go already," the other three proceeded to go away.  
  
As Vanko looked up and got two silent bullets to the face, nobody noticed. Only when his huge body hit the ground like a bag of potatoes did they turn around.  
A flash grenade landed at their feet and, a moment later, all three screamed out as they were blinded by the explosion, even more harmful due to the NV goggles.  
They were still as blind as kittens when Y/n picked up Vanko's submachine gun and opened fire, it's recoil so strange and unusual for the young woman.  
  
  
Team Alpha was on scene almost immediately, but she felt them coming. An SMG wasn't the most elegant weapon, but it served her well, letting her kill the 10th member of the group.  
  
Two to go.  
  
"You fucking wench!" one of the men screamed from behind the trees, "I will gut you like a fish!"

  
  
Funny he mentioned guts. Because that was what went flying everywhere when the grenade she threw at them exploded.

  
  
None left.  
She...she did it? _She did it._  
  
Listening closely to her senses and the communication frequency of the mercs, she couldn't pick up anything that indicated that anyone else was there.  
  
There was really no one left.  
  
She killed 12 people this night.  
  
Suddenly, her arms felt too heavy, her legs too clumsy. Was the world spinning?

  
  
She was alive. She killed 12 people.

  
  
In a daze, she started making her way back towards the cabin.  
Man, is that a story to tell Steve or what? She wasn't even mad at him anymore, she just...she really could use a friendly face right now.  
She wondered if he was OK and what that emergency was. Now that her own threat was dealt with, it was easier to think about things other than survival.  
The one who was responsible for hunting her was dead now. Does that mean they'll leave her alone? Or would they now know there actually was someone worth hunting?  
   
Her tired eyes rested on the cabin in the distance. Damn, the bodies. She should do something about that.  
  
Suddenly, she understood something. She couldn't hear any, even the faintest of noises from the direction of the mine. For a while now. She wondered again if Steve was alright and if he's going to check on her.  
Then again, she was too hollow inside to care much right now.  
  
Taking a cautious look around, Y/n stepped out from the shadows and started walking towards the front porch. It was close to dawn, the stars disappearing one by one in the sleepy sky that was colored in soft violets and warm peach tones as if someone painted with watercolors and used too much water. That reminds her, she should find her sketchpad-

 

  
_Tshk!_

  
  
She dropped to the ground, her body growing more immobile and stiff by the second, like she was dead and rigor mortis was setting in.  
What- How? _Who?!_  
She couldn't feel or hear anyone, so...how?  
The young woman couldn't feel her body anymore, but the last thing she felt was something piercing her back. Bullet? Tranquilizer shot?  
  
She lay there for several minutes, her mind racing. Eventually, she heard what was probably a bike approaching. Someone from so far away...Oh, she was so stupid! A sniper! Oh fuck all this to hell.  
Luckily, she could feel sensation returning to her fingertips. Maybe she still had a chance.  
The bike got closer and stopped somewhere nearby. Heavy footsteps approached her and a pair of army boots came into vision. From the position she was in, she couldn't lift her hear to see the sniper.  
  
"Mighty good show there, sweetcheeks," she heard an amused male voice, "Sorry for not picking ya off sooner, too far and dark, and you sure as hell know how ta move swiftly."  
  
She stayed silent, trying to assess how much time it would take for her to regain at least some mobility.

  
Just then, two more shots pierced her body, making her take a broken breath before her lungs felt like they turned to concrete.

  
  
"That'sa better, honeybun. Now let me take a look at your pretty face up close and personal."  
He picked her up by the collar of her shirt, making her just hang there like some drowned kitten, and turned her to face him.  
"Now aren't you a beauty? Look at yah pretty eyes. Why'd a cutie like you hide away so far from civilization?" the middle-aged man smirked. His breath smelled like cheap tobacco, his dark yellowish-green eyes focusing on her like a snake's would on a mouse. She couldn't feel her body, but she could feel her soul freezing over. This was it. He caught her.  
And there was nothing she could do, not even scowl at him.  
  
"Hee, I can see it in your eyes, you're mad, real shame we can't have a propah conversation an' all," he said as he threw her over his shoulder and carried her to the bike.

  
  
No. No. Nonono.

  
  
She tried to move, she did, but it was like her mind was occupying a piece of wooden furniture - stiff and immobile.  
  
Just then, she heard a familiar sound. Heavy footsteps, _very_ heavy footsteps.

 

  
  
Steve?

 

  
  
Her captor turned around, throwing her to the ground - her unfortunate landing position making her face the direction opposite from the new arrival.  
  
"What the-?!" the sniper shouted and, a moment and a thunderous blast - which threw Y/n several meters to the side - later, everything went silent.  
  
A blaster! So it was Steve!  
  
She wanted to turn around, to shout at him, to thank him, to- something, anything at this point!  
  
The heavy footsteps grew closer and she realized something. They were heavier than Steve's. Much heavier.

  
  
A low growl of a hum reached her ears and she was sure that, even if she didn't feel it, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.  
A gigantic, clawed metal hand picked her up and she already knew who it was.

  
"I see you have been...busy, human," Megatron said as his red optics met Y/n e/c eyes. She suddenly found it in her to move her head a little.  
"Answer me. Is this really all your doing?" the alien lord mused, his tone low and calm. Y/n managed a weak nod.  
The cybertronian raised an optic ridge, looking the girl over.  
"You will come with me and will answer my questions as soon as your voice box is operational again," he stated matter-of-factly, seemingly losing most of his interest in her already.  
  
A second later, she found herself surrounded by transforming metal and another second after that - in a dark, cramped space.

  
  
_Whatever_ Megatron's alt mode was, it sure wasn't something meant for humans.

  
  
She lost consciousness when the mech took to the sky at such speed that her already overexerted body couldn't handle the rapid increase of pressure.

 

 


	8. The Nemesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n wakes up aboard the Decepticon ship and meets some of its crew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stil spamming Megatron chapters. Also, Steve's in this chapter. And many others. Please stop me from writing about Vehicons, I need help.  
> Also, still my Birthday.  
> Fun fact about the author#3:She has impressive self-control. Like, for real. Everybody's freaking out, author's like 'Okay, the situation is shit. Give me a sec, I got this." Problem is that when the bucket is full, it's full. So watching a video about kittens can provoke a 15 minute crying session.  
> Fact#4:For some reason, the author speaks about herself in 3rd person in the notes. No idea why. I guess I'm Gambit from X-Men:D

 

Well, this wasn't what she had expected. Not at all.

  
  
Three hours have passed since she came to. At first, when she found herself in a huge empty room completely made of metal she thought that someone would soon notice her awakening and come over.

  
She wasn't as sure anymore.

  
  
She tried calling out, looking around, but there was seemingly nothing she could do to get out or to get attention. Just a dark gray metal floor, dark gray metal walls, and a dark gray metal ceiling.  
So she made herself busy at first, stretching out her aching limbs, noting to herself that at least the tranquilizer was out of her system. The young woman wondered how long was she out for and how long in took for the tranqs to wear off.    
Soon enough, after checking herself over and taking another look of the room, she found herself just sitting on the floor, deep in thought.

  
  
Should she try and lie her way out of this? She had a feeling Megatron would see through her if she tried.  
How much should she tell him? What would he do to her based on how much he knew?

  
When the 4th hour of her being awake was almost up, she decided that the Decepticon commander did save her life and was very much respected by his men, so she probably should be straight with him. She had a feeling that even if he wouldn't explicitly appreciate that, he at least wouldn't have a reason to be mad at her. There wasn't much profit from angering a 10-meter tall alien general....lord...something or other.  
She also thought about the mercs she killed. What did that make now, about 30? God, she was raised to be a well-mannered, good girl by her parents, she led such a normal life...What went wrong? In just two and a half months, she became something strange, she was hunted by some organization, she killed people. How...Why?

Y/n looked deep withing herself - was she regretful? Did she suffer because she killed? Was she a bad person for answering 'no' to those questions? She was only protecting herself, after all, she wouldn't ever think of killing someone innocent, that she was sure of at least. So there was a moral line somewhere in her mind at least.  
  
As time passed, her mind turned to less heavy thoughts. She wondered how her parents were. How her dog was. Did her mom get a kitten like she planned? Did her dad fix that thing with the car? Did her grandma remember not to carry too many groceries at once?  
She also really wished she could take a bath and have a change of clothes. The blood - both hers and not - that covered her clothes glued them to her body and had a sickly smell of iron and roadkill.

  
  
"I'm sorry," she called out again, to no one in particular, "But if you intend to keep me here, could you at least let me clean myself and change clothes?...I wouldn't want to answer Lord Megatron's questions looking like a sewer rat," she added, hoping that the mention of their leader might motivate whoever might be listening.

  
Then again, maybe not. Another hour passed.

 

  
  
As she was about to drift off to sleep, hugging her legs to her body and hiding her face in her knees, she heard the huge metal doors slide open. Raising her head, she saw...  
  
"Steve?" she asked, a bit unsure. After all, she was probably on the Nemesis and there were many identical Vehicons around.  
"Hey," the mech said awkwardly, waving at her.  
"Hey," she couldn't help but smile. She also couldn't help but notice the scratches and dents that were covering his body."You okay?"  
"Me?!" the bot sounded genuinely shocked, " _You're_ the fleshy organic here!"  
"I'm not the one who looks like he's been on a date with a woodchipper," she quipped, getting up and walking towards the alien.  
"Yeah, you look like you've had a date somewhere on Elm street," Steve replied and both of them chuckled. It seemed that they were ok.  
"I, ugh, have orders to make sure you get cleaned, I guess," the mech scratched his helm.  
"Aw, and here I thought you came because you wanted to see me," Y/n sighed, half-joking.  
"I did! " the Vehicon insisted, "But we were under strict orders not to make contact until instructed to."  
"...We?" Y/n asked, raising an eyebrow. Immediately, three more Vehicons popped into view, seemingly hiding around the corner all this time.

  
"Hey!"  
"Yo. Y/n, right?"  
"Hey there."

  
  
"Oh...that's what you meant," Y/n said as she blinked a few times in confusion and amusement. "Err, nice to meet you all?"

 

 

  
*******

 

 

  
She wasn't sure if she was amused or insulted by the way that the Vehicons treated her. They were like little boys who got their hands on a kitten or a duckling or something. All giddy and curious, but also clearly feeling superior. Luckily, Steve was there to rile them in, keeping her safe from their servos and reminding them that she was, in fact, sentient.  
  
She had decided then and there that she wasn't angry at the mech anymore.  
  
It was surreal, never in her life could she have ever imagined that she'd have to shoo away giant alien robots so she could take a shower in what was probably a sink. Never could she have imagined that for a change of clothes she'd get a giant-fist-full of dresses, some of them ruined by the glass that embedded itself into the fabric.  
"Steve, did you literally reach into a shop and just take everything you could fit in your fist?"  
"I went for the f/color ones. See, I remembered," the mech proudly announced, his visor still facing the wall as he stood with his back to her while she bathed.  
"Thanks, Steve, you're a real bro," Y/n said indulgently with a soft chuckle. Well, let's hope everything in that shop was insured. Judging by the brands, it was the kind of shop that would have sufficient insurance.  
Trying not to cut herself on the glass, she carefully removed the top layer of ruined dresses, some small shards falling to her bare feet with a resonant sound.  
  
Never in her life would she ever imagine drying herself off with a Calvin Klein evening dress.  
"Ouch," she hissed as a stray shard left a shallow cut on her side. A couple red drops formed on the wound, reminding her of-

  
  
Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind. No, _no,_ that was self-defence. She did nothing wrong. She wasn't some monster. Just don't think about it, it'll desaturate with time like an old photograph.

  
  
"Can't pick? Need help?" Steve's voice ripped her out of her thoughts and she managed a weak smile.  
"Let me at least look through all of these. Who would have thought you would be giving me such a generous choice."  
"That's me," the mech agreed smugly.  
  
The girl sighed. She noticed a shard of a mirror and picked it up, looking herself over. There wasn't any makeup or anything she could use, but she very much doubted Megatron or anyone else on this ship would care or even know what that was. Carefully, she ran her fingers through her damp hair.  
  
"Hey, you done there?"  
"We wanna see!"  
"Like, yeah, I guess."

  
Oh right, Steve's friends were still at the door.  
What a weird day this was.

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
"Oh, come one, one last time!"  
"Pleeease?"  
"Come on, indulge the sparklings, heh."  
  
Y/n rolled her eyes yet obliged, twirling around in her f/c evening gown. It was a modest pick - not too shiny, not too vulgar. If she could, she would've picked something more business-like for a meeting with the Decepticon leader, but her options being what it was, it had to do.  
  
The Vehicons made a bunch of excited noises as the long skirt of her dress and her h/c hair swooshed at her swift movement.  
  
"It looks kinda weird, but somehow cool," the first friend said. 8o88Y, dubbed Bobby or simply Bob - an energetic, somewhat reckless bot, he was the first to talk and the last to shut up. He was one of the maintenance crew aboard the ship.  
"She looks like that thing, eeh, flower, that's it! Only turned upside down!" spoke up the second one, K0DY. Kody was the youngest and the most easily impressed one, but also the 'nerd' of the group as his job was to man one of the many computers on the Nemesis command bridge.  
"Those heel struts remind me of Starscream, I can't even-" the third one chuckled, pointing at her shoes with a digit. That was N31L, or Neil - the oldest and most sarcastic one of the bunch. Like Steve, he was part of the Vehicons who were sent to missions, his alt mode, however, being a jet. As far as she knew, he was one of the bots who supervised the mining operation if there wasn't an officer present.  
  
"So you do know what Steve does, right?" Bob asked her while they walked somewhere, Y/n sitting in Steves open servo. The young woman shrugged.  
"No?!" Kody looked shocked, but Neil quickly caught up.  
"So he really did manage to obey orders and keep quiet. Good on you, Stepan."  
"Steve."  
"Right, Swenson."  
"I'll offline you, Neillybot."  
"Don't call me that."  
  
As she watched the two bots bicker, Kody leaned in closer, making the girl turn her attention to him.  
"So Steve's a supply bot most of the time, but he gets sent on low-level missions sometimes or called into a fight if they need additional firepower."  
"Basically, he's a glorified errand-bot," Bob smirked and immediately got a hit to the back of his helm. Steve still had one free servo after all.  
"You can forget about that oil you wanted."  
"Nooo-"

  
  
"What is the meaning of this?!"

  
  
Everyone froze.  
  
In the metal corridor, the sound of heel struts sounded like a humongous clock counting down seconds to someone's death. Most probably, Y/n's.  
  
"Commander Starscream!" all four mechs stood to attention as the optics of their commanding officer focused on Y/n.  
  
"So...this is the insect Megatron brought on board? Tell me, _human_ ," the taller, light-gray metal alien dragged that word out, like an exquisite insult, "Are you about to shut down from fear or fall to your knees in reverence now that you have seen a real cybertronian warrior?"  
  
The mech was certainly impressive, more aesthetically that anything else, but she had to bite her tongue not to remind the clearly egotistical bot that she had already seen Megatron and nothing could compare to that mountain of metal.  
  
She stood up and nodded at the mech in greeting. No reason to skip pleasantries while the aliens remained civil too.  
  
"Commander Starscream," phew, didn't call him IceCream, crisis averted, stopthinkingstupidthingsidiot, "It's an honor."  
  
"Of course it is," the mech narrowed his optics in satisfaction, his servo with dangerous sharp digits resting on his chassis."Nice to see that at least some of the monkeys on this rock know how to address a superior being."

  
  
Yeah, no, okay, that was minus 9000 respect for this guy right there.

  
  
Trying to keep her face from showing much emotion, she decided on simply raising her brow slightly and not gracing that with a response.  
  
"What, is the monkey angry?" the light-gray mech gloated, "Are you going to try and throw your own filth at me?"

  
  
That was...that was actually so absurd it was funny. The slight quirk of her lips didn't escape Starscream, however, his sharp, disgust-filled eyes narrowing again.

  
  
"And what do you find so entertaining?"  
"I just expected an officer to have a more classy act than talking about waste in the first 2 minutes of meeting someone."

Someone far off into the corridor couldn't contain a laugh and when Starscream instantly turned his head towards the sound, several pairs of Vehicon footsteps were heard as they left as fast as their pedes would carry them.  
  
"You. Dare. I'll tear your arms off for that," Starscream turned his attention back to her and she felt her heart drop into her stomach and dissolve in the acid there. The Decepticon commander took a step towards her and she struggled to keep her balance as Steve instinctively pulled her closer to himself.  
"You. Give it to me," the light-gray mech demanded, his gaze never leaving Y/n.

  
  
"Commander, I...I can't."

  
  
Starscream, Y/n, and the three other Vehicons looked at Steve in shock.  
  
"What...did you just say?" the taller alien asked, his voice dangerously low, his wings lowering like he was about to attack any second now.  
The young woman felt Steve's digits tremble.  
  
"He can't," she heard herself say, prompting Starscream to return the gaze of his glowing red optics to her, "He has to deliver me to your Lord at once. That's why I'm here in the first place."  
  
She couldn't tell if her heart was beating so fast she couldn't count the beats or if it just stopped altogether. She was, however, determined not to let Starscream see any weakness in her expression.  
  
The seconds seemed to drag on endlessly.  
  
"Get out of my faceplate," Starscream finally sneered,"If, after you're done, Megatron doesn't dispose of you, I'll gladly do it for him. I will find you later, monkey. Enjoy the time you have left until then."  
"Maybe you'll use that time to educate yourself to differentiate between monkeys and humans, you'd seem a bit smarter then," she mused coldly.  
  
When Y/n saw, as if it was in some sort of slow motion, how Starscream's claws came towards her, she immediately admitted to herself that she should have stayed silent.  
  
Now she'd die at this weirdo's servos.

  
  
_Clash!_

  
  
Starscream cursed, the Vehicons gasped. She opened her eyes - she didn't even notice she instinctively closed them.  
  
There was another cybertronian. He was about the same size as Starscream, maybe just a little taller. His face was completely covered by a black screen and his body seemed about as light as the silver commander's, yet there was a certain aura of power around him.  
  
"Soundwave!" Starscream sneered at the mech, trying to free his servo from the former's grasp."Let go!"  
"Commander Soundwave!" the Vehicons looked at the dark mech in awe and, probably, fear.  
What came next shocked Y/n thoroughly. The one called Soundwave spoke, yet his voice...  
  
"If Starscream gets in my way _one more time_ this orbital cycle, I will pull his spark out of his intake," said Megatron, his tone low and clearly dangerous. It was even more unsettling to hear Megatron's voice coming from this other mech.  
"I get it, I get it!" the silver mech screamed, clearly reaching his boiling point. His servo finally free, he gave Y/n a hateful glance before walking off, prompting the spectators from down the hall to run for their lives again.  
She could finally breathe again.  
God, she was so stupid. She was usually so good at keeping quiet, was the stress getting to her?

  
  
"I- I," finding her voice, she looked at the black-and-purple officer. The mech, until then following the departing Starscream with his gaze(probably), turned his attention to her.  
"Thank you, Commander Soundwave," she nodded slightly, feeling the color return to her face.  
The mech looked at her for several seconds wordlessly, after that turning around and walking away.

  
  
When he was out of view, Y/n had only one question:

  
"Is everyone on this ship ill-mannered or what?"

  
"You do know that you were almost offlined just now, right?"  
"I don't want to think about it."

 


	9. Manners Maketh...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine has a talk with the Decepticon leader and then gets to spend some 'quality time' with the Communications Officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron sighted!  
> ATTENTION, WE GOT MEGATRON IN THIS CHAPTER.
> 
> Oh Primus, it's finally here. If you think you've waited long for his return, then imagine how I felt when I finally got around to writing this part. Oh sweet baby Orion Pax, I'm so happy that in this and the next chapters Megatron is actually there.
> 
> Oh look at this beautiful observation deck: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p3ieuy18XYw/UiZMHdHWqjI/AAAAAAAAAK0/OHKB_ZAXlBM/s1600/INT_NemesisBridge_outward_w.jpg
> 
> Also, still my Birthday. Also-also, I'd be happy to read facts about You, my beloved readers. I'm serious, go write Aunt Winter something about yourself, if you want to that is <3
> 
> Fun fact about the author#5: I'm PAINFULLY uncomfortable in nightclubs. Always have been. Bars - fine, cafes - amazing. Clubs? You'll find me in the corner with a drink, hating everyone. Luckily, all these years later, my friends seemed to get the hint.  
> Fact#6: I tend to write in sessions from 2 to 10 hours long, and will often get lost in time while writing. Doesn't mean that what I write is any good, just that I'm really into it :D

  
200 meters to the doors.  
Her heart rate speeds up.

  
  
150 meters to the doors.  
Her breath quickens.

  
  
100 meters to the doors.  
Her hands tremble.

  
  
50 meters.  
"Don't worry, if Lord Megatron wanted you dead, you would be already, right?"  
Kody tries to be helpful. He isn't.

  
  
  
25 meters.  
  
...

  
  
"Hey," Steve's voice is nervous. She looks at him and wonders - if he had traditional facial features - what expression would he be wearing right now? Somehow, however, by voice alone and by knowing him for a while, she knew he was as jittery as her.  
  
By this point, her doubts on whether or not he genuinely considered her something resembling a friend were gone. She was good at reading people. No one could have a personality like Steve's and pretend _that_ flawlessly and heart(spark?)lessly. Then again, the Decepticons' whole attitude towards humans clearly showed that they wouldn't stoop so low to jump through such hoops just to fool her in the first place.  
  
That knowledge brought her peace. At least she had one per-err, mech, who liked her.  
  
"Hey yourself," she managed a faint smile, hoping that she didn't look as pale as she felt. It's just the draft that made her get goosebumps, she thought, it was not warm on the Nemesis, not at all.  
"You'll, eh, you'll be OK," he offered, but they both heard how unsure his voice sounded.  
"That...is in your lord's hands now," she chuckled joylessly and rubbed her arm where she was shot not too long ago and where there was pristine s/c skin now.

  
  
She wasn't going to fool herself right now, she was basically meeting alien royalty as far as she understood, so it was time to be on her best behavior.

  
  
"He's a...eeh, swell guy?" Bob tried to lighten the mood.  
"Come find us when you're done," Kody tried to throw in a seed of hope.  
"Don't piss the big guy off," Neil advised.  
Steve remained silent.

  
  
The doors to the command bridge of the Nemesis slid to the sides.    
  
Steve stepped in, the other three stayed behind.  
  
The doors closed.

  
  
"Well," Neil sighed and put a servo on his hip, "Your bets?"  
"Most probably dead," Bob shrugged, "Frag, I really wanted to ask a real live human some more questions."  
"Hey, well, maybe..." Kody tried to sound optimistic but went silent for a while. "She seemed nice for an organic of an inferior species."  
"Sure did, K," Neil, looked at the door then started to walk away, "Let's go, no use standing here and risking to run into Starscream again."  
The other two couldn't argue with that and followed N31L, each of them, however, feeling a little bit bad for the little fragile thing that was the human Y/n.

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
  
The area of the command bridge was enormous.

  
  
In this gigantic room, however, was something - someone - who made everything else pale and fall to the sidelines.  
At the end of a catwalk-like elevation that led to an enormous observation deck stood a giant cybertronian, the metal of his armor gray like steel, his crimson eyes seemingly able to keep watch on everything and everyone. Including the newly arrived Vehicon holding a young human woman.  
It took only a nod and a slight narrowing of red optics and the Vehicon who was currently reporting something instantly grew silent and departed with a bow.

  
  
Oh, Gods and Stars above, why couldn't she get some calming drugs or a shot of vodka before this?

  
  
Breathe. Act with dignity. Pray that Megatron isn't like Starscream.

  
  
As red optics concentrated on Steve and her, her cybertronian pal started walking towards his master. As he came closer to the observation deck, she felt the telltale trembling of his digits. She would have liked to comfort him, but it took all she had to keep herself sane and calm right now.  
  
"Lord Megatron, I have brought you the human, as you requested."  
"I can see that," the alien giant answered simply, his deep voice calm with a hint of amusement as his optics rested on her.

  
Okay, time to find her voice and fish out some words out of her mind.

  
"It is an honor to meet you again, Lord Megatron," she curtsied lightly, nodding her head, trying to make her movements respectful yet not dramatic. Something told her the Decepticon leader had enough dramatic people on board, if Starscream was any indication.  
Indeed, the alien lord seemed intrigued, judging by the way he raised an optic ridge.  
  
Goddamn it, he was huge. Steve held her in his servos but Megatron still towered over them, his presence dominating and commanding respect. 10 meters, probably more, she thought as she continued:  
  
"Before anything else, I wanted to thank you for saving my life, I'm truly grateful," she dared to look the cybertronian right in the optics, hoping he'd see it in her eyes that she understood her situation.  
Megatron's optics were intense - too intense - it's like he could see right into her soul and burn it to a crisp. At the same time, she couldn't - didn't want to - look away. It was like looking at fire - dangerous, powerful, yet strangely...enticing?

  
  
"Don't misunderstand, F/n L/n," the alien lord spoke slowly, with purpose and authority, and she realized that she didn't ever tell him her last name, "I needed answers from you. If not for that, I wouldn't think of involving myself in human affairs."

  
  
Well, figures. She wasn't surprised. He, however, seemed slightly interested why she wasn't shocked at the revelation.  
  
"I am not naive, Lord Megatron, I understand that you wouldn't have saved me if I held no use for you. That would just be a waste of time and resources, right?" she managed a small, polite smile, "Still, I am alive thanks to you. If there's anything I can do to repay that debt, please tell me."  
"Hnn," the cybertronian smirked, no doubt very amused. His teeth reminded her of a shark. A great white shark."Do you genuinely think that you, a human, could be of use to me?"

  
Should she tell him now? Should she wait?

  
  
"You tell me, Lord," she slightly tilted her head to the side, "Can I? You said you had questions, I am willing to answer them."  
"It doesn't matter if you are willing or not, you would have answered them regardless," Megatron assured her, his voice becoming a bit lower at that moment. All the while, he held his gaze on her, not once breaking eye-optic contact. Something told her it would be a bad move to be the one to look away first. Fortunately and surprisingly, she still didn't want to look away. The mech's eyes were somehow...there was something in them. Behind that red color, that powerful stare was something almost...familiar?  
  
  
"Though," he added a bit more graciously,"I can appreciate your ability to properly behave yourself. Perhaps, you could indeed be of at least some use. You will now be questioned and your fate decided. Vehicon, give her to Soundwave."  
"Y-yes, my Lord!" Steve replied readily. She forgot he was even there despite him holding her. As her metal friend turned around, they practically ran into the faceless mech, Y/n barely containing a yelp of surprise and Steve not being able to catch his own in time.  
"Yeiey! I-I mean, Commander Soundwave," Steve, not without a second of hesitation, offered the young woman to the officer. Soundwave extended his servo, long thin digits coming together to form a likeness of an open palm.  
Taking this as her cue, she carefully made the little jump from one giant hand into the other. Little did the aliens know that such a feat would have been nerve wrecking and quite dangerous for an average human with an average sense of balance.  
The faceless commander proceeded to nod to his master before starting to walk off.

  
  
"Pray to your creators and teachers with gratitude, human," she heard Megatron's deep, guttural voice, "You are given this chance only because you did not annoy me."

  
  
The doors slid open.  
  
The doors slid shut.

  
  
She breathed out, turning her gaze to the metal ceiling. Right now, she really did feel just about ready to thank her parents for teaching her good manners.  
  
As Soundwave silently carried her somewhere, her head became foggy as the adrenaline was relaxing its grasp on her.  
Then, she remembered in who's servo she currently was sitting, what Steve's friends told her about her 'savior'.  
  
Third-in-Command. Communication's Officer. Former gladiator. Most loyal Decepticon. Took a vow of silence. Deadly. Merciless.  
  
If her mental state allowed her to be scared, she probably would be. Problem was, recent events seemed to burn out her emotions, the recent 'chat' with Megatron being the last straw.  
So, right now, she was even glad that the Decepticon didn't speak. She needed this quiet walk to the...wherever he took her.

 

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
Soundwave placed her on a cybertronian-sized desk and stared at her.  
She stared at him.  
He stared at her.  
  
"Do I...Do I just start talking?" she asked, looking at the black screen that obscured Soundwave's face(or _was_ his face?) in slight confusion.  
The Third-in-Command nodded slowly.  
"Oh. I thought you had questions?" the girl asked, wondering to herself if they really didn't have any sort of clue what she was.  
  
"I know what you are," Megatron's voice coming from Soundwave made her flinch slightly, "Tell Soundwave exactly what kind of cybertronian experiment you are."

  
  
Well, that's that.  
Still, where did they learn about that?

  
  
"I will," she nodded, looking at her interrogator with tired eyes,"I have no intention of lying on this. I will tell you what I know."  
Soundwave remained immobile and silent, just looking at her. Waiting.  
  
She took a deep breath.  
"It began in June of this year..."

  
~

  
  
"...and brought me aboard the Nemesis," Y/n concluded.  
She made it a point to keep her voice calm throughout the story, to concentrate on telling it in order and not leaving out any details that seemed to connect to cybertronian involvement. If she wasn't so emotionally spent, she thought, she would have probably cried once or twice during the story.  
She never told this to anyone, never said it out loud, even though she replayed the first half of it in her mind almost every day for the past two and a half months, and the second part of it almost constantly since she awoke today.

  
Somehow, she felt better. Lighter.

  
  
Soundwave, as immobile and silent as he was at the beginning of the story, stood there looking at her.  
Looking. Like a silent question.  
  
"I didn't leave anything out, this is all I know," she said with a sigh that sounded much more tired than she intended it to be.  
  
More silence.  
  
"You can check my heartbeat to see if I lied or try to torture me for more info, but that's really all I know," she looked at the black screen, suddenly feeling much older than she really was.  
  
Silence.  
  
Then, the Third-in-Command turned away from her and walked towards the other end of the desk, a giant holoscreen appearing in front of him. Long, precise digits began to type on a holographic keyboard.

 

  
  
Oh, so apparently he was done with her.

 

  
  
"I'm sorry, may I go now?" she asked, rubbing her forearms and shoulders. It really wasn't that comfortable here in just a dress. At least with Steve there was a bit of body heat radiating from the mech's chest. Here, in Soundwave's office(or was it his room?), there was nothing to keep her warm. And she wasn't one to get cold easily in the first place.  
  
"Excuse me, I really don't want to get in your way," she walked up to holoscreen, taking a glance at it, then at the Communications Officer.  
  
Then, slowly looking back to the holoscreen.  
  
It...the tabs opened and closed too fast for her to get any of it, but the language...  
  
"I think I can actually read Cybertronian. Just putting that out there. Just discovered that myself," she turned her head to look at Soundwave and this time he was looking back at her.  
"I'd tell you with more certainty, but I can't read at light speed," she added flatly.

  
  
Suddenly, long black digits closed around her and she found herself on the opposite end of the desk again.

  
  
"...Right, I guess you're doing some really important classified stuff. Sorry," she sighed as Soundwave let her go. The cybertronian didn't go away instantly, however, instead continuing to look at her, as if curious.  
  
"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.  
  
"Your fate - will now be - decided," pieces of Megatron's sentence, now rearranged, reached her ears, "Are you about to shut down from fear?"  
Oh, Commander's Douchescream's voice.  
"Starscream's voice doesn't suit you, you know," Y/n chuckled.  
The Communications Officer continued looking at her, his Frankenstein's monster of a question still lingering in the air.  
"Do you mean to ask if I'm afraid or why I don't look like I am?" she inquired.  
Soundwave nodded. Very helpful.  
"It's called being emotionally burnt-out," she explained, "I'm sure cybertronians have something like that too. You're a warrior, but try to imagine a civilian going through what I just told you. Add the stress of speaking to Megatron...Lord Megatron, that is. Recipe for an emotional shutdown."  
  
The Third-in-Command nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation, and went back to his work. Y/n sighed and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest and putting her chin on her knees. Her tired eyes watched as Soundwave's digits flew over the holokeyboard.  
  
Like a pianist's, she thought absentmindedly as her eyes began to close...

  
  
She awoke when she heard heavy footsteps. Familiar footsteps.

  
  
Opening her eyes and looking up, she was met with a gaze of glowing red optics.  
  
"You will stay on the Nemesis until I have no longer use for you," Megatron told her matter-of-factly.  
"As a prisoner or a guest?" she asked, instantly awake. Megatron smirked. Those teeth again. Shark teeth, dangerous teeth. Everything about Megatron was dangerous.  
"What would make the difference between the two for you?"  
  
She sighed. Megatron's smirk became a bit scarier.

  
At least she was alive, right?

 

 


	10. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n reunites with Steve and tries to come to grips with her new life. Starscream does bad stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're marching along, this is the Birthday chapter parade!
> 
> Fun fact about the author#7: I love Kinder chocolates. Don't let me near those things.  
> Fact#8: I live in Germany, but I'm not even a little bit German. My homeland is to the north.
> 
> Also, still happy to see Your little tidbits of info about yourself!
> 
> Onward!

 

This...wasn't what she had imagined would happen.

  
  
In the room, the same room where she woke up after Megatron brought her onto the Nemesis, now stood a hunter's cabin. Her cabin.  
They just ripped it out of the ground and put it here. Like a doll house.  
Huh. Puts things in perspective.  
  
She wondered what the hunter whose place she rented would think when he eventually came by to check on the place and collect his rent money. Yeaaah...good thing she used a false name. Then again, wouldn't the police be able to-

  
  
"You look like you're not happy," Steve broke the silence.  
She was once again in the Vehicon's familiar servo and he sounded very proud of himself.  
"Me and the guys put some real effort to get it here in one piece...though, the basement had to stay in the ground."  
"That's alright," Y/n finally found her voice.

  
  
The cabin, with it's chipped, earth-covered concrete foundation, looked out of place and outright silly in this all-metal dark room, but...It was a thoughtful gesture. Was it Megatron's? Or Steve's?

  
  
"It's...I'm just really impressed," the young woman finally smiled, looking back at the mech.  
"You should be," the Vehicon smirked, seemingly satisfied with her words.  
"I, ugh, Steve?"  
"Yah?"  
"What did you do with all the bodies?" she asked, voice cautious.  
"Oh. That."  
If Steve had a face in the traditional sense, his expression probably would have changed to a much less enthusiastic one.  
"So, ugh, Megatron kinda ordered to destroy all evidence so, eeh...Let's just say that there was a gas well explosion in your general living area."

"...What?"

  
  
She didn't even have the strength to emote. She hoped Steve picked up from her eyes and her tone that she didn't expect to hear what he said.  
  
"Yeeah, so we kinda blew up everything in a half-kilometer radius. Bodies too. Don't worry, it didn't reach that lake you liked, so-"  
"I need to go to bed," she announced.

  
  
Too much. Too much for today.

  
  
Sensing from her tone that she was done with just about everything, Steve carried her to the house.  
As he kneeled and put her down, she looked up at his face, hoping she didn't look too dead inside.  
  
"Thank you, Steve, really," she breathed out, "My guess is that this was your idea."  
"Well, yeah," the mech scratched the back of his helm in slight bashfulness, "But Commander Soundwave authorized it. I guess he must have taken a brief look at the data on humans and understood that we kiiinda have no appropriate living arrangements for you. I think. Or maybe he just let me do it because he didn't care one way or the other. Can't be sure with him."  
She nodded.  
"Go get some sleep, Y/n, you look like scrap," the Vehicon said with some genuine worry to his voice which made her offer him a genuinely warm smile.  
"Thanks, Steve. See you around."  
"Sure will," the mech chuckled.

  
Funny, she thought to herself absentmindedly, how her pal always became a little happier when she used his name. Come to think of it, his friends also became giddy when she did that. Did using someone's name mean something more in cybertronian culture? She should ask...tomorrow.

  
  
The Vehicon rose to his full height and, with a wave of his servo, walked away.  
Y/n stood there for a while before looking around, then looking at the ceiling.  
"Thank you too, Commander Soundwave," she said in no particular direction.  
With what she had seen of Megatron's mysterious Third-in-Command, she was sure that he was able to monitor the room if he wanted to.  
After that, she walked up the stairs and entered the cabin.  
  
Everything had fallen to the floor, chaotic piles of stuff making up small mountains, shards of broken glass shining dully in the barely-illuminated house. Y/n lazily thought if it was because of the relocation of the cabin or because those mercs searched the place.  
  
Step over a pile. Step over one more.  
Step out of shoes, pull off the dress, throw it on the somehow still standing chair.  
Bed. Covers. Darkness.

 

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
When she awoke, she had just lain there for and hour, staring at the ceiling.  
What was her life going to be now? What was she doing?  
She changed, her body changed. She killed people. Left everyone and everything behind. Was almost killed herself. Got abducted by aliens.  
There was no possible escape from the Nemesis. It was a flying fortress of a ship if Steve was to be believed.  
  
Was she right in acting as she did yesterday? Was she right in treating the Decepticons with respect?  
They did not harm her yet, but they certainly didn't hold human life in high regard.  
Then again, they were a technologically and physically superior race. And it's not like humanity was good at treating new things with respect and acceptance. The Decepticons - seriously, what kind of a name is Decepticons? - were also involved in some conflict with other cybertronians, maybe the strict discipline and a skeptical approach to everything was what kept them alert and safe.  
  
Then again, she wasn't any sort of a threat to the metal giants, was she? So maybe it's really just good old-fashioned racism.  
  
Huh, what a situation, when 'racism' is somewhat of a favorable answer.  
Sure beats the option that she was currently on a ship full of alien invaders who plan on draining Earth of her resources and then destroying everything.  
  
...  
  
Looking at her phone(which miraculously survived the whole ordeal) she learned that it was the 12th of September, time being 15:12.  
  
She should really clean the house.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
That day she kept herself busy by tidying up the little house.  
Steve came by - she heard his footsteps on the metal floor - but soon left. Or maybe it was some random Vehicon, tasked to check on her. She really didn't care.  
What she _did_ care about was that Steve apparently grabbed the sniper's bike. The bike itself, though impressive, wasn't what piqued Y/n's interest. A sniper rifle was attached to the motorcycle, along with standard rifle bullets and several of those tranquilizer bullets that completely incapacitated her. Though it made all kinds of negative emotions swell up in her, she decided to hold onto her findings, stashing the bullets in her cabin together with her gun. These guns couldn't do anything to a cybertronian (maybe that's why her hosts/captors didn't even bother to check for firearms) but they still brought her a sense of - probably false - security.  
  
The next day she spent in a chair, headphones on her head, book in her hands. She wasn't sure if someone came by - but if they did, they didn't bother her. Also, whoever it was - probably Steve - who made sure the cabin had power, may he be blessed by whatever deities cybertronians had. If they had any. She remembered that Steve swore by someone named 'Primus'...then again, Steve also swore by Megatron's left optic ridge. But 'Primus' sounded important enough.  
  
The day after that, she managed to force herself out of the cabin for some exercise. Running around the all-metal room soon became boring, even if it was huge. She felt like a hamster in a wheel. She was sure she'd have looked like one to any cybertronian.

  
Tsk.

  
On the 15th of September, Steve came by around noon to find her sitting on the porch, eating chili con carne. It came from a can but was surprisingly good, especially after she added a bit more black pepper to it.    
"You humans do everything wrong," he said instead of a greeting as he came closer, his tone implying a playful mood which the accusation was said with.  
"We indeed do, be more specific though," she smirked, looking up at the now kneeling mech.  
"You're meant to eat from cubes, not cylinders."  
"How barbaric!" she exclaimed in mock horror. Steve chuckled.  
"Glad to see you're doing better," he commented as he closed his servo to form a fist and reached in her direction.  
Also chuckling, she reached out and gave the Vehicon a fist bump.  
  
"Brofist."  
"Oh no, you watched PewDiePie, didn't you?"  
"...I like the Stephano joke."  
"God, help me."

  
*******

 

  
  
  
"...So, you're basically Captain America?"  
"I am _not_ Captain America," Y/n gave an exasperated laugh, "I'm your race's analog to something straight out of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'. Like, 'Let's take this human, expose it to something that will scramble it's genes and see what happens' stuff."  
"Oh come on," the Vehicon frowned, "Yeah, sure, it's kinda creepy, but the way I see it it's free upgrades! Do you know how much it would cost me to upgrade my strength, speed and stealth? Like, I'd have to sell Starscream for parts or something."  
"Can't you just sell him for parts and everyone will gladly give you their pay for the rest of the year?"  
Steve snorted and giggled like a mischievous teenager.  
That reminds her...  
"Hey Steve, since you're finally able to tell me at least some stuff, wanna tell me how old you guys are?"

  
...

  
Wow.  
Just.  
_Wow._

  
Cybertronians lived for millions of human years.  
Millions of years.  
That was such an amount of years that it didn't even properly register as a time frame.  
  
Anatomically modern humans arose in Africa about 200,000 years ago.  
Cybertronians lived for millions.  
  
No wonder they viewed humanity as primitive.

  
  
Steve was very young, relatively speaking, but was very proud of still being alive as Vehicons tended to have a very short lifespan in these warring times. By way of discussion, they settled that his mental age was around twenty in human understanding.  
Megatron, in comparison, was much older. Though, not at all old by cybertronian standards. As Steve explained, the Decepticon leader was actually a relatively young warlord, but the war made him act and look much older.  
  
"Though, he looks fantastic and young right now too!" Steve quickly added when he noticed Y/n nod to the direction of the ceiling. Apparently, that was enough to remind him that if any room was to be monitored by a certain Communications Officer, it was hers."I mean, did you see him? Truly, majestic. Lord Megatron is a marvelous mech, you just can't help but admire him!"  
Y/n chuckled, yet couldn't argue. There really was something majestic about the Decepticon leader. In fact, if she remembers correctly, it was one of the first things she thought when she saw him.

Diverting the topic a bit, she asked the Vehicon if there were mechs older than Megatron on the ship. A few, he answered - a few veteran engineers, the head supply officer was easily older and a couple of others had a few years on Megatron. Again, the Decepticon Leader wasn't old. What he _was,_ was skilled and wise beyond his years. Y/n wondered if Steve had said that, too, to get Soundwave off his back. His tone sounded genuine, though.

 

  
Her mental state returning to normal after these couple days of rest, she felt curiosity swell up inside her.

  
  
What was it like, to live that long? So fascinating.  
  
"Do cybertronians go through a teenage/mid-life crisis? Several of them?" she asked, looking at Steve attentively.  
  
Yes. And no. Due to being such a long-living race, it meant that their mental development was different too. They weren't 'slow' by any means, but a cybertronian with a fully-developed personality couldn't change their views/beliefs/behavior as relatively quick as a human could. It would take a forced processor crash and a memory wipe, quite intensive and invasive reprogramming or a severely traumatizing/impactful event to drastically change a mech or femme in a short period of time.  
  
"Makes sense," she nodded.  
  
What about physiology? Do parts get worn out, do they have to be exchanged? Humans already replace failing organs to extend their life expectancy, is it natural for cybertronians to just do that periodically? Do cables function as muscle tissue? Does that mean they have ducts as veins/arteries? Wires as nerve endings? How do they even have sensation if they're made of meta-  
  
"Whoawhoawhoa!" Steve exclaimed, waving his servos, "I'm no medic, okay?"  
  
Y/n sighed. Maybe history questions?  
  
"That...someone else will speak to you about that when you'll be allowed to know."

  
  
Great.

  
  
"And here I thought we were all friends here," she sighed in disappointment, yet gave Steve a patient smile, "It's okay. I understand that you can't go against orders. But thanks for telling me what you can. Just...I kinda just want someone to tell me that you're not on Earth to take over it or something."  
"We have no interest in Earth or humans, we're just here to get Energon out of the deposits and not let the Autobots get to them first," Steve said in a tone that suggested he practiced the line beforehand.  
"Okay," she slightly narrowed her eyes at the suspicious way the Vehicon spoke just now, "So you're not here to conquer Earth? Get Energon, fight Autobots, no interest in killing humans?"  
"I haven't heard of any plans for an invasion or targeting humans...Our war isn't with humanity, after all," the mech answered and, this time, it didn't sound rehearsed.  
A sigh of relief escaped her. Steve remained silent.  
"Sorry, that must have been quite the accusation. But I'm sure you can understand where I was coming from," she offered the Vehicon a smile.  
"Yeah, sure," the mech nodded, "Ask me anytime."  
"Thanks."  
"So, ugh, it's 27 minutes until my shift. What you wanna talk about?"  
"You," she smiled wider, her mood having been greatly improved in the last few minutes, "Let's talk about you. And the guys."  
Steve visibly perked up.  
"So we had this-"  
  
"Oooh, wait-wait, sorry!" Y/n stopped the bot abruptly, "Could you bring me to that sink thingy? I wanna take a shower."  
Her eyes briefly darting to the ceiling again was the only hint Steve needed.  
"Sure, let's take you to do your gross human cleaning thing _which no one wants to see_."  
"You prick."  
"Acknowledged."

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
As the clock showed 22:37 and she sat in her chair in her pajamas, all comfy and warm, she thought that the day wasn't too bad. She had a chat with Steve, learned some new things, had a shower, was almost finished with a good book...Maybe she could really get used to living on the Nemesis until Megatron eventually lets her go.  
  
The sound of an opening door and approaching pedes with heel struts made her think she might have celebrated too soon...

  
  
*******

  
  
  
"Mmmghh!" she threw her head back and bit her lip, immediately tasting iron as she broke skin.  
"Still not screaming?" Starscream asked with a smug yet already slightly annoyed voice.

  
  
The psychopath came into the room, ripped the roof clean off the cabin and, eventually, caught her in his clawed servo, proceeding to torture her as revenge for humiliating him.

  
  
"Now now, I'm merciful. You insulted me, you can still make it right," the silver mech cooed as he grabbed the young woman's arm with two sharp digits, "Scream, cry a bit, beg for mercy and I may let you live."  
She stayed silent, only scoffing at the alien. Now visibly annoyed, the mech moved his servo suddenly and Y/n heard a sickening *pop*, before her body arched in pain and her already healed lip was bitten again.  
"Mff! Hnn," she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, hoping that there was a cybertronian hell that awaited Starscream.  
"Oh come on!" the mech hissed, grabbing onto her leg, "Let's see how you like this!"  
  
_C-Crack!_  
  
This time, the pain was so intense that all she managed was a strangled gasp. She was sure she blacked out there for a moment before stifling a scream, using all her willpower to reduce it to a closemouthed moan. Maybe willpower had less to do with it. Maybe it was her determination to spite Megatron's demented sadist of a lieutenant.  
"You stupid human, come on, say it! Call me your Lord! Plead me for mercy!" Starscream demanded in a shrill voice that made her cringe.  
"Why would anyone...call you..a Lord?" she breathed out, defiance shining in her e/c eyes as she looked at the mech with as much disgust she could muster, "Don't make me laugh."  
"You pathetic...!"

  
  
With that, she was thrown to the cold metal floor, hearing a variety of sickening cracks and pops from within her body on impact.

  
  
With her hearing failing her because of, possibly, a concussion, she was able to hear only parts of the departing alien's sentence.  
  
"Stay h... ..d think about w... ...'ve done wrong. Sou...... .. gone on a mis.... .. ..one will know what I do to you h... Not even Megatr.. ..n save you. I will check back on you soon to see if you've smartened up. The next thing I ruin will be your optics."

  
  
Clank, clank, clank, clank.  
  
The door slid open.  
The door slid shut.

  
  
She could hear the last two sentences fully, she heard the heel struts, the door - that healing thing was working well. She wondered how fast her bones and organs would heal.  
  
After all, she had a meeting to get ready to, she thought while cold, concentrated hatred was taking over her mind.

 

 


	11. The Lord (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events so far, through Megatron's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. Megatron chapter! From his POV!  
> And the next one will be too!  
> Oh I'm soo pumped for writing more Megatron.
> 
> Birthday train shows no signs of stopping.
> 
> Fun fact #9: I'm a night owl. I adore the nighttime, mostly because, as a young adult, it's basically the only time when I can do whatever I want in peace. No uni, no work, phone is silent because all friends are asleep..Just, <3\. And yeah, STARS. That too.  
> Fact #10: I currently have about 20 scarves/shawls. I know for a fact that I will be getting more today as presents. I'm genuinely very happy about that.
> 
> This might help with time units ;) : http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Units_of_time  
> And now, let's give a word to the Decepticon leader himself!

 

Megatron thought about the inhabitants of Earth about three times in total.

  
First, when they learned that there were Energon deposits on the little blue planet. Cybertronian databases quickly informed him that about 8,000 years ago the most sentient species here were 'humans'. Apparently, the race didn't die out and even managed to invent satellites. Good, something to hack into. As the Decepticons hacked the primitive race's satellites, gaining access to their information network, Megatron didn't bother to give 'mankind's' history more than a quick glance - he was at war, Terra interested him only because it had Energon. He'd rather not get into humans' range of view, however - it would create the annoying necessity to swat away their pathetic military.  
  
The second time he gave humans place in his thoughts was when he met Optimus Prime on Earth. His oh-so-honorable former brother went out of his way to save a human who was apparently an agent of some kind, spying in on their battle and getting accidentally involved.  
Humans were insolent, stupid creatures, he thought as the dark-skinned male human dared to insult Megatron to his face before the Autobots retreated.  
  
The third time he thought about the inhabitants of the third rock from this system's sun was when he noticed that one of them witnessed their skirmish with the Autobots near an Energon mine.  
Humans seemed to have a peculiar and annoying tendency to get into situations that didn't concern them, he thought.  
Fed up with the incompetence of those under his command, he decided to just take care of the witness himself.

  
  
So weak, indeed, he thought as the human stumbled and fell to its knees just from his landing alone.

  
  
"Ahh, I thought I sensed something watching me," he mused, looking at the creature's back, noticing how tense its body became.  
  
As the human turned around and e/c optics - or eyes, as organics called them - looked at him in what he decided was awe and fear, he couldn't help but feel smug. Such a fragile little creature, he must seem like a god to her. Or an analogy for Unicron...Devil, was it?  
"It is rude not to answer when spoken to, human," he narrowed his optics, allowing himself to have a little fun in scaring the small one. He also didn't like it when anybody dared to not answer him, so the human could use the motivation to speak. Or scream and run, that would be amusing too, if not a little annoying.  
"I-I'm sorry," he heard a small, yet strangely pleasant voice. The human femme seemed to gather some more courage, speaking somewhat louder and calmer, which was...well, commendable in her situation.  
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just...I was startled, I hope you can understand why."  
  
  
She waved her hand at him, clearly referencing his size.  
He raised an optic ridge - this was not the reaction he expected from a femme of the primitive species. What did he expect? More fear? Less intelligent speech? Who knows.

  
  
"My name is Y/n. I live here, so I heard the commotion and went to see what was happening," the human explained, his size and proximity requiring her to throw her head back quite a bit.  
Such a fragile creature, he thought again.  
"Is that so," he said slowly, looking at the human's face. So very similar to faceplates, he thought to himself. Good, the easier to spot signs of treachery.  
"It is," the small organic nodded, keeping her back straight and looking into his optics with those e/c eyes of hers. Curious, he'd think such a little thing would be beyond scared and pleading him for mercy. This particular human chose not to let go of her pride it seemed. He couldn't decide if that intrigued or bothered him.  
  
What was the human's designation again?  
  
"...Y/n, " he slowly said, trying the word on his glossa. A soft word, like this soft creature. He didn't even know why he bothered to learn the designation, it's not like it or the human who owned it mattered.  
"Why are you here?" he asked, not taking his optics from the small creature. Indeed, why is she here, in this remote location? He thought humans tended to stay in groups. Then again, he didn't think about humans often.  
His audials picked up the sound of one of the Vehicons approaching. A moment later, the mech dropped from the sky behind him.  
"Lord Megatron," he spoke, not noticing the human behind the warlord's massive frame,"I have gathered the information you requested. As you were still in the area I decided to bring it to you myself, sir."  
  
Of course, there was always more work to be done.  
  
"We're leaving, you will report to me on the way to the Nemesis," he grumbled, somehow a bit disappointed that his brief time for a distraction came to an end.  
"Affirmative, si-Sir!!"

  
  
Oh, _now_ he notices the human femme.

  
  
As this Y/n looks into the barrel of the Vehicon's weapon, she then raises her eyes to look at Megatron and her half-scared half-exasperated expression is so comical it actually amuses him.  
He chuckles darkly, then says:  
"Leave it."  
  
His subordinate immediately lowers his weapon as Megatron muses to himself why exactly he cared if the human got blasted out of existence or not.  
"I trust you won't be running to your species screaming about aliens anytime soon."  
He somehow knows she won't. This human seems smart.  
"I would rather not be seen as insane. And not be killed by you," she says with a nervous chuckle, making him smirk again. Where did this good mood even come from?  
  
"I will know if you attempt to flee," he warns and, not bothering to wait for a response, transforms into his alt mode and flies away, followed by the Vehicon. As they flew to the Nemesis and the subordinate was reporting something that should really be listened to by someone lower down the ranks, Megatron let his thoughts return to important things.  
  
Distraction time was over, time to get back to work.

 

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
  
The Vehicon he ordered to keep watch on the human didn't report any suspicious activity.  
  
Good.  
  
Then again, it would have been easier to just dispose of the human when he had the chance. Megatron thought about that several times with a mix of irritation and boredom. Each time, however, he somehow reconsidered giving the order that would end the girl's life.  
  
The mining operation was going smoothly after that run in with the Autobots, it seemed like Optimus Prime realized that he couldn't take the mine with the pathetic amount of soldiers at his command.  
As he had more free time, Megatron spent his time training, maintaining his weapons or taking the occasional flight.  
He liked flying, the feeling of looking at everything from above was something he enjoyed and, perhaps somewhere deep inside, the Kaon miner in him reveled in the ability to just fly wherever he wanted, to be close to the skies instead of underground, with tons of metal above his head.  
  
How long ago that was, he absentmindedly thought one day as Earth's air glided around his wings. How entirely unnecessary that line of thought was, he thought right after.  
If there was something redeeming about this rock, it was how colorful it was. Not in the same way Cybertron once was but somehow, surprisingly, also pleasing. The sky changed color from Energon-colored to orange, to the color of his Decepticon insignia, to black - a black canvas, stars making up sparkling patterns on it.

  
  
Ah, it seemed that he was in no working mood today.

  
A thought occurred to him. As he was not far away from the mine anyway, maybe he should have a look how that human, Y/n, was faring.  
  
Then again, there were more than 7 billion of those human things, why would he have to pick that particular one?  
Turning, the leader of the Decepticons decided to indeed watch some other people, there was a small town not too far away by his standards.

  
  
...He was not impressed. Not at all.

  
  
From his chosen watchpoint on a hill outside the town, his enhanced sight granted him the ability to look at the streets, into houses and apartments.  
Humans, humans, humans. With so many of them, and all of them doing seemingly boring things, nothing caught his eye.  
He should have known, he thought as he rolled his optics. How did he even get this stupid idea?  
If there was something exceptional about humans it was how unexceptional they were, he thought as he transformed into his alt mode and flew off, somewhat irritated.

  
  
...Then again, he could have been a bit wrong, he thought several days later, when he held the human Y/n in his servo. He remembered her eyes being e/c, definitely not inhumanly-shining Energon-blue.  
  
Interesting.  
  
"I see you have been...busy, human," Megatron said.  
Before picking up the girl, he spotted several identically clothed human corpses in the area and, by the looks of it, Megatron got to kill the last one of Y/n's attackers.  
The femme remained silent. The Decepticon leader supposed that the human who he had disposed of earlier did something to her. She could move her head though, so she could still answer him.  
"Answer me. Is this really all your doing?" the alien lord mused, his tone low and calm. Y/n managed a weak nod.  
The cybertronian raised an optic ridge, looking the girl over.  
"You will come with me and will answer my questions as soon as your voice box is operational again," he stated matter-of-factly. Whether Y/n was in agreement or not didn't interest him in the least.  
  
When he returned to the Nemesis, he placed the human's small unconscious form into the servos of the Vehicon who was in charge of her for the previous orn. The way his subordinate struggled between treating her with care not to harm her soft fragile body and not doing it too gently not to anger Megatron was amusing.

  
Mostly because Megatron didn't care.  
  
He really didn't.

  
  
But he _did_ want to know what was with that light in the human's eyes. Was it because she lived near an Energon mine? Or other reasons? Was Energon as beneficial to humans as it was for cybertronians?  
He ordered Soundwave to search the archived files if there was mention of such humans. Optimus Prime may have stolen several crates of Energon from right under his nose today, but Megatron may have found something interesting that he may use against the human-loving Autobot leader.  
  
About an orbital cycle later the Vehicons confirmed that they rid the area of evidence of there ever being any cybertronian activity, along with the evidence of there ever being a little human dwelling in the area. Twelve bodies were discovered in the process(Megatron's fusion cannon didn't leave a body to be discovered) and the gladiator in Megatron wanted to commend Y/n on the kill count, impressive for her fragile stature. Then again, how hard was it to kill something so soft and fleshy?  
  
Soon he was informed that the human woke up. He was busy so he left it to be handled by Soundwave and the Vehicons.  
A short while later, Soundwave informed him that he found a bit of information on what Y/n might be.  
  
A long time ago, when war between Autobots and Decepticons was just about to lead to their homeworld's poisoning, cybertronians from both sides were hiding Energon on other planets - one of them being Earth. It was thousands of years ago, and humans were even more primitive back then, coming to worship the aliens as gods.  
Some cybertronians - guess from which side - took pity on the race, trying to teach them culture and basic skills. In the process, somebot apparently came up with the idea of making 'proxies'. Individuals who would serve as shepherds to their brethren and intermediaries between cybertronians and humans, as the poor creatures were, most of the time, too overwhelmed to listen when they saw the giant beings in person.  
But humans are fragile and weak, they get injured and sick too easily, so proxies had to be changed quite often. Somehow, a solution was found. While for the majority of humans Energon was toxic, even lethal, for an incredibly small percentage it wasn't for some reason. Building on that, the cybertronians messed with those humans' genes and tried to somehow introduce an incredibly small, minuscule dose of Energon into their systems.  
Surprisingly, the little experiment was successful and the chosen humans became stronger, more agile and could heal quicker. Some even developed additional abilities that varied from human to human. Over the years, the cybertronians noticed that those humans also didn't age as quick as the others.  
Unfortunately, when the mission of storing away Energon was completed, so was the little lab project. The cybertronians left, so no further information was available.

  
  
So, an upgraded human of sorts?  
Interesting.

  
  
If he chose to go through with the idea and keep the human, then she coud serve as a good distraction or diversion. Maybe a human agent to infiltrate wherever the Autobot allies' base was.  
  
Then again, he didn't need the help of a human to win against Prime.  
...But it would be very amusing to watch.

  
He ordered for Y/n to be brought to him. In the mean time he ignored some nonsense Starscream was spouting for a while before finally throwing him out from the command bridge. Honestly, lately the seeker seemed to forget his place more often than ever.  
Several kliks later, a Vehicon brought in Y/n. The human femme seemed amazed by the command bridge, but soon her eyes focused on Megatron.  
Ah, it seemed her eyes were back to e/c now. Good. As in, he didn't care.  
  
"Lord Megatron, I have brought you the human, as you requested," said the Vehicon as he approached.  
"I can see that," Megatron answered as he didn't even spare the Vehicon a glance. The human looked quite different now - gone were the blood-covered clothes, messy cabl- _hair_ , that is, and alarmed expression. A delicate piece of clothing(later recognized as a 'dress') hugged the human's upper body and hung loosely from her hips, obscuring her legs. H/c hair, clean and shining, framed her curious yet somewhat anxious face. For some reason, the sight of the human left him satisfied. He wondered if, back then, cybertronians just used these 'proxies' and other humans as accessories.  
  
"It is an honor to meet you again, Lord Megatron," Y/n spoke up, her voice so different from how he heard it last time - calmer, more even. She made a peculiar gesture, some kind of a bow and slightly nodded her head in greeting. He raised an optic ridge. This was...unexpectedly pleasing. He didn't expect a human to be as proper. Of course, it was only natural when someone met the leader of the Decepticons, the mightiest cybertronian alive, but he didn't expect a human to think of that.  
  
"Before anything else, I wanted to thank you for saving my life, I'm truly grateful," she then looked him right in the optics, her e/c eyes showing no sign of insincerity.  
Those e/c orbs, the dignity and clear respect in them reminded him of someone, he just couldn't place who yet.  
"Don't misunderstand, F/n L/n," the lord spoke slowly, letting her catch on that he did some background check on her(actually not, Soundwave just found the remains of her deleted Facebook profile),"I needed answers from you. If not for that, I wouldn't think of involving myself in human affairs."

  
  
She held his stare with her own and the lack of almost any surprise at his words puzzled him a little. He expected her to be shocked or insulted, honestly.

  
  
"I am not naive, Lord Megatron, I understand that you wouldn't have saved me if I held no use for you. That would just be a waste of time and resources, right?" she gave him a smile, "Still, I am alive thanks to you. If there's anything I can do to repay that debt, please tell me."  
Whan an interesting human, he thought. Well spoken also. That, too, reminded him of someone - if only he could just pinpoint who.  
"Hnn," the cybertronian smirked, knowing full well his smile tended to have an unsettling effect on many, "Do you genuinely think that you, a human, could be of use to me?"  
"You tell me, Lord," Y/n slightly tilted her head to the side, looking at him thoughtfully. Does she think he has no idea what she is? "Can I? You said you had questions, I am willing to answer them."  
"It doesn't matter if you are willing or not, you would have answered them regardless," Megatron assured her, his voice becoming a bit lower at that moment. That was true. No matter her opinion on the matter, Megatron would get the answers he desired, and she should be made painfully aware of that.  
  
As he continued to hold his gaze on her, not once breaking eye-optic contact, he noticed that the human did the same. The look in her eyes wasn't that of a - what was the expression? -  'deer in headlights' either. There was intelligence behind those eyes, pride, curiosity and respect. He knew he deserved respect, he wasn't expecting, however, that she would give it to him so willingly. It made him feel...good, for some reason.  
  
  
"Though," he decided to add, his improved mood making him gracious, "I can appreciate your ability to properly behave yourself. Perhaps, you could indeed be of at least some use. You will now be questioned and your fate decided. Vehicon, give her to Soundwave."  
"Y-yes, my Lord!" his subordinate answered readily. As the Vehicon let out a pathetic yelp thanks to Megatron's Third-in-Command, the Decepticon leader was ready to facepalm. Why did he get stuck on a ship with morons who embarrassed him every chance they got?  
Megatron watched as Y/n carefully jumped from one giant hand into the other. So small, so fragile, he thought yet again.  
Soundwave, wasting no time, nodded and started walking off with the human in servo.  
  
"Pray to your creators and teachers with gratitude, human," the warlord decided to remind her one more time that, on this ship, her fate was dependent on him alone, "You are given this chance only because you did not annoy me."  
  
He did not see her expression but imagined that his words made an impact.

  
The doors slid open.  
  
The doors slid shut.  


 

  
*******

 

  
  
He listened to Y/n's story when he was finished with his work. As the Nemesis flew above the clouds, he listened to her voice explaining how and why she was the way she was. He particularly liked the part about the exploding cybertronian ship. Sure there could have been information there, but what's lost is lost. Better lost than in human hands, anyway. Exacting a revenge in such a spectacular manner was, however, to his taste. Perhaps, the human was indeed worthy of living a bit longer.  
  
When he came into Soundwave's workspace, he noticed that Y/n was recharging. Or crying.  
  
By the sleepy gaze that met his own he determined that it was the former. That was good. Otherwise, it would have been annoying.  
  
"You will stay on the Nemesis until I have no longer use for you," he told her matter-of-factly.  
"As a prisoner or a guest?" the girl asked, her e/c eyes becoming serious. Megatron smirked.  
"What would make the difference between the two for you?"  
  
Y/n sighed, possibly accepting her situation and the futility of disputing his orders. Megatron's smirk grew wider. Good, smart human.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron - the ultimate tsundere.


	12. The Lord (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We continue to follow Megatron and listen in on his thoughts regarding everything taking place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, this is the last one for now, I need a nap. Some time after that, I'll post two more chapters. Just gotta polish them, cause they're the first pure Megatron/Yn ones and cover a lot of stuff and I'm anxious.
> 
> Birthday fanfiction train, choochoo!  
> Fun fact #11: Megatron isn't even my favorite character. I actually am and for years have been in love with TFP Optimus, like since the first episode. I mean...come on! I can't even describe the amount of love, respect and warm fuzzy feelings I have for the character without sounding either crazy or pathetic. So...Yeah. Optimus is my love, love so deep it fucking hurts. Someday, I'll get around to posting at least some drabbles with him.  
> Fact#12: I decided to write a Megatron story sometime when I was trying to get over the ending of TFP. Let me explain, the amount of "tsss ouch oh nonono" I get when Optimus gets hurt is indescribable. But then I read the novels and had one dream, kinda making me see the tragedy that is D-16's-Megatronus'-Megatron's story, and upon waking up I had his thought "Okay how can we go about fixing that situation AND getting all cozy with the steel-colored mech?". Because Optimus is my only true love. But gosh damn it I wanna see that stupid gladiator be happy too and not like he was at the end of the series. Also, come on, he's hot.
> 
> So..yeah :D Back to Megatron.

 

The next day he didn't have any time for the human.  
The day after that, however, he decided to look how the new inhabitant of the Nemesis was transitioning into her new life. And remind her that she was alive thanks to his mercy.

  
  
As he walked into the room and saw the little house, he almost laughed. It looked ridiculous here on the ship.

  
  
As he walked towards the human's living area, he wondered why she hadn't stepped out to greet him. As his optics zoomed in, he saw the reason why. As Y/n sat in a chair, some strange contraption was on her head, covering her audials. A quick internet search revealed it as being 'headphones', used to listen to music without it being heard in the general area around the listener. So that explained her ignorance.  
There was also another reason. Her eyes were focused on something in her hands. Book. Primitive datapad. As he watched the human's expression as she read, he suddenly realized who she reminded him of. The realization made him want to laugh and rage at the same time.  
  
Orion Pax.  
Much less naivete and more pride, however. The curiosity, poise and well-mannered behavior were, however, very similar to the Iaconian archivist.  
Megatron's former brother.  
  
The Decepticon leader just stood there for a while, while he tried to calm his thoughts and decide what to do with the human after this revelation.  
He ultimately decided to leave, as he was not sure if he would unleash some undeserved wrath on Y/n given the chance.  
  
Long after he left the room, he decided that nothing has changed.  
Aside from the fact that he knew how to manipulate her if he chose to.  
Also, under no circumstances was she allowed to make contact with the Autobot leader. Megatron had a feeling that it would take an astrosecond for Prime to convince Y/n to join the 'right' side.  
  
The next day he almost forgot a human even existed aboard the ship. Huh, who knew that keeping a human would be so unproblematic? Either way, he didn't have time for Y/n and the human seemed perfectly fine with being left on her own.

 

  
*******

 

  
It was past midnight in the time zone they were in currently, and the Nemesis was mostly quiet. The distant sound of the engines running, the chatter from the common rooms and barracks in the living area. On the main deck, however, it was quiet.  
  
Ah, it was nice to sometimes walk in solitude, Megatron thought as he returned from his flight.

  
  
**BOOM!**

  
  
"YOU PIECE OF ORGANIC SCRAP I WILL SQUISH YOU AND DRAG YOUR REMAINS ACROSS THE WALLS!"

  
  
...And then there was Starscream.

  
  
Wait, what was it he said about 'organic scrap'? And what was that explosion? If Starscream fired his missiles indoors again-  
  
Then he saw it. A human, running at a speed humans, from his knowledge, didn't usually display. The running pattern was strange, was it-  
  
It was because Starscream was chasing her.

  
  
Why was he surrounded by morons? Did Prime have to deal with this?

  
  
As the two beings noticed him, one of them ran faster, the other one stopped. Guess which one was which.  
  
"L-Lord Megatron!" the seeker exclaimed in fear that quickly was evolving into panic.  
Starscream looked stupid right now. His left leg was darkened by, what Megatron's experienced optic determined, an explosion of some sort. Not Energon based, though, something that black...human oil-fuel?  
The silver bot's right optic was also twitching and though Megatron wouldn't be surprised if that was just a part of Starscream's current hysterical mood, the way it obviously caused him discomfort made Megatron think that something else happened.  
  
"Lord Me-" the human began only to be interrupted by Starscream.  
  
"She attacked me! She's a human spy! She may even be working with Autobots!"  
  
The 'Slagger, are you kidding me right now?' look Y/n gave Starscream right after would probably have made Megatron laugh. Probably. If he didn't notice the state of the human.  
Aside from heavily panting - that he attributed to the long speedy run - Y/n looked...There were no visible wounds, but her clothes and her expression told a story of someone with sharp servos studying human anatomy on a live subject. 

  
Megatron narrowed his eyes as the silence in the hallway became physically heavy.

  
  
"If you plan to kill me, then do it," Y/n suddenly spat out and, by the look of her, she was furious, Primus knows what was keeping her from shouting, "If this was not done on your orders, however, then-...!"  
She cut herself off, her brightly-glowing Energon-colored eyes narrowing back at Megatron as they were slowly returning to their natural color.  
"Just...either kill me or not. Please do not play games. Lord."  
Each and every of her words bled self-restraint that Megatron wasn't sure he would have had in that situation.  He became curious what was it that she reconsidered to say to him. Whatever it was, good on her. She didn't want to anger him. Not when Starscream already accomplished that.  
  
"Starscream," Megatron said menacingly and by the way the seeker's wings lowered he knew that Starscream understood that his blatant lie was unsuccessful."Did I or did I not say that I need the human?"  
"Y-You did, my liege, b-but please reconsider! It's a _human!_ What need have we-"  
"It is not your place to question my orders," the Decepticon leader growled, voice growing more dangerous by the second as he began walking towards Starscream. Honestly, everything, every single word the seeker said just made Megatron more enraged right now.

  
  
This wasn't about the human. This was about obeying orders.

  
  
He saw in Starscream's optics how his instincts screamed at him to run away, to flee, but his experience made the seeker stay and await punishment. He knew if he would try and escape, then Megatron would inevitably catch him and the amount of pain inflicted would increase twentyfold.  
  
The silver mech instinctively tried to scramble away at the last second, but Megatron's fist collided with his chassis in a massive hit, making the lighter bot almost fall to the floor...if Megatron didn't catch him by the neck. Only to instantly throw Starscream into a wall with such force that it left dents on both on the ship's wall and, mostly, the seeker's frame.  
  
"PLEASE! Forgive me, master! You can keep whatever you want on the ship, anything, even Scraplets if it pleases you, just-Aargh!"  
  
_Thunk!_  
  
That was Starscream's helm colliding with the wall again, although much less violently.

  
"Did you remember your place?" Megatron asked, tightening his grip on the silver mech, sharp digits dangerously pressing on the neck cables.  
"Yes, YES, forgive me, my lord!" Starscream cried out, his damaged eye twitching almost comically.  
  
Megatron relaxed his grip and the seeker collapsed to the floor with a scraping sound.

  
  
Now, time to look back at the human and discover how horrified she is by all of this.  
  
...

  
  
Not at all, it seems. Rage still burned in her eyes like a cold fire, its embers being the lingering cyan shimmer in the human's irises. The rage was mostly directed at Starscream, but as she looked back at Megatron, he saw that she blamed him also to some degree.  
  
"Get out of here," the Decepticon lord ordered and Starscream wasted no time, getting to his pedes and beginning to quickly limp away.  
  
Suddenly, a voice rang out, echoing off the dark metal walls:

  
  
"Guess I ruined your optic instead."

  
  
He could hear Starscream scowling and biting back some answer, but Megatron already lost interest in the seeker. Raising an optic ridge, he looked at Y/n.  
  
Definitely more pride than Orion. More ruthlessness too. This was good, he could work with this.  
  
As Y/n caught Megatron's stare, a tired sigh escaped her, the hatred in her eyes mostly being replaced by exhaustion.  
"He threatened to hurt my eyes," she explained. He gave her a good long stare, his optics looking over the small human carefully.  
"I see," he then said."Come with me."  
As the words left his intake, he took a step towards Y/n and, with a moment's hesitation, knelt on one knee and offered her his servo.  
  
The human femme looked at his palm, then into his optics, before seemingly making some sort of internal decision and stepping into his clawed servo.  
As he rose to his pedes, he silently wondered how easily he could crush her right now.  
"That was what you thought about before deciding to obey and go with me? That I could easily crush you in my servo?" Megatron half-wondered, half-asked.  
"Are you always such a charmer, Lord Megatron?" the human chuckled.  
  
How dare she- Okay, that was a bit funny.  
  
He allowed himself to smirk, which seemingly pleased Y/n.  
"But yes, I thought about that," she confessed easily as she looked down from the height.  
"What made you still do it?" he inquired.  
"The thought that if you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't 1.)have stopped Starscream, 2.)need to have me in your servo to do that," the young human answered as she turned around to look into his optics."For the record, squishing a human in your servo would be very gross, you're all the wiser for sticking with the...um?"  
"Fusion cannon," he helpfully offered, a clear look of amusement on his face.  
"Fusion cannon," Y/n nodded with a soft smirk,"Thank you again for that, even considering your motivations."

  
  
Megatron didn't answer verbally, but couldn't stop himself from giving a small nod.

  
  
"May I ask where we are going?" the girl asked, returning her attention to the Nemesis. Obviously, the view had to be different than from a human's or even a Vehicon's height.  
Megatron took a moment to respond.  
"My quarters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I just can't wait for the next chapters!


	13. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n is brought to Megaton's quarters and tells him what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another one! And there's more, at least a couple chapters worth.  
> I hope you're enjoying the ride so far :)

 

Y/n remained silent as the Decepticon leader carried her in his huge metal hand all the way to his quarters.

  
  
She was undoubtedly still mad at the mech for allowing the situation where Starscream was able to harm her to happen, but her curiosity was persistently pushing that anger to the side. The fact that Megatron had put Starscream in his place in a rather brutal matter also helped satiate her hunger for justice. Or vengeance, name it what you will.  
  
Megatron's footsteps were heavy, yet the sound of his regulated pace was somehow almost calming. She was in the hands of the most powerful being on the ship and, quite possibly, on the planet, right now and she was sure he wasn't about to hurt her(not right now, at least). Somewhere deep down, she felt her inner child gushing about taking a walk with The Iron Giant.

  
  
If the Iron Giant was a warlord. And had a deep, powerful voice capable of both terrifying everyone present and, as she would imagine, inspire an army. And had sharp digits.

  
  
As they walked, Y/n looked around curiously. Even among his giant-sized brethren, Megatron possessed an impressive, dominating height. From this height, the girl imagined, it was a piece of cake to watch over everyone, keeping sure they were following orders.  
  
She then took the time to discreetly look over the Decepticon leader's digits. Sharp and oh so dangerous. She had no problem imagining how he probably used those weapons he called servos to seriously injure or even kill his enemies in this war he was waging.  
Y/n wondered when she finally was going to be given information about that conflict. Were the Decepticons hiding something? Were they the Axis Powers to the Autobots' Allied Forces?....Great, Y/n, compare alien robots to nazis, that'll make things more understandable. Not.  
  
Her thoughts returned to Megatron's hand. Servo, that is. The metal was smooth, but she was sure that was from frequent use and not some polishing or buffing or...Did cybertronians even have something like that? Something like cosmetic adjustments or recreational care for their bodies?  
She'd have to ask Steve. Somehow, the idea of asking an alien warlord something like that seemed moronic. She could just imagine, 'Hey, giant several-thousand-year-old leader of an alien army, so do you have hand cream here or do you go to a mech who polishes those servos of yours?'. Yeaah, not stupid at all.

  
  
Automatic metal doors slid open.  
  
Oh shit, she had completely zoned out.  
  
The doors slid shut.

  
  
Megatron still didn't say anything and she took the chance to come back from her thoughts and into reality and inspect the room.  
It was huge, but relatively so. Huge by her standards, but probably just fairly spacious for the massive-framed cybertronian lord. There was a desk and, in a contrast to Soundwave's room, near it stood a giant chair made of metal and - probably - some kind of dark purple plastic on the seat and the back for - again, probably - cushioning.  
Something similar to a bookcase stood along the wall, filled with those datapad things. There was a door near that, and Y/n had no idea where that went. Storage for weapons? Torture room? My Little Pony appreciation shrine? No idea.  
Further away, in the back of the room, stood what she would have previously thought was an odd examining table of some kind. But, thanks to Steve and their talks, she had the information to summarize that it was a berth - a cybertronian bed. Its surface was also padded with that purple plastic. It was...actually strange to see some kind of cushioning on cybertronian furniture, until now she hadn't seen any. Was it because only officers had such luxuries or because, aside from where they slept, the robotic aliens didn't have much need for soft surfaces?

  
Even if Megatron was a lord among his kind, his room undoubtedly showed that he was a military mech, having almost nothing resembling decorations. The exception to that being a few weapons, hanging on the wall. A sword of some kind, two crossed axes and, surprisingly, a shield. The shield looked old and worn, but restored to glory to the best of someone's abilities.  
The most interesting thing, however, was a window. Well, not a window _per se_ , more of a screen that was built into the wall, but showing the sky outside. Right. Military ship. If there was something she learned from Mass Effect, it was that windows on battle spaceships were a structural weakness. And, also, that you can be a xenophile and proud...That sounded **_so_** awkward in her head at the moment, while she was still being carried in a giant metal hand. She couldn't help but smirk a little.

  
  
Then, she noticed that Megatron was standing still and looking at her for some time, having turned his servo slightly to see her face.

  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," she immediately apologized, a bit embarrassed for some reason. Turning herself so that she was looking at the Decepticon properly, she looked him in the optics, ready for whatever he may say.

  
Megatron made a quiet sound, something of a slightly interested hum. His voice had this thing about it, Y/n noticed, it seemed that some sounds he made reverberated in his chest. It sounded...not bad at all.

  
"What were you thinking?" he inquired simply, "You were smiling."  
She decided that she should prooobably leave out the xenophile part of her thoughts. The young woman nodded to the 'window'.  
"Just thinking how it was a nice idea to use a screen instead of a window on a vessel where an actual window would be a structural weakness...probably. I have no idea what cybertronian windows are made of and how much pressure and damage they can handle," she said, the second part of her answer thoughtful.  
" _Ah,_ " Megatron looked at her, maybe slightly impressed. Then, he spoke:  
"Whatever they are made of isn't as durable as the Nemesis' metal, so yes, it is a structural weakness. Or would be, if we were dumb enough to install windows. There is a camera on the outer side of the wall."

  
  
That...That was an actual informative answer! Was Megatron going to actually speak with her normally? She felt hope swell up in her. Maybe the Decepticon lord really didn't plan on her getting hurt while in his 'care'.

  
  
Carefully, she tried to continue the conversation:  
  
"But the ship's observation deck is a window of sorts, right? I mean, if something caused the screens to shut down or there was some sort of software malfunction, you'd still need visual confirmation to know where you were flying, right?...I'm basing this on human tech, though, so I could be wrong," she added, looking at the alien lord with curiosity. He gave her a long look. Somehow, his red optics gradually became easier to look at without feeling like their owner could kill her any second. He could, but it was getting a bit easier to trust that he wouldn't.  
  
"You do realize, that you are asking me about the weaknesses of my military vessel?" Megatron spoke. His tone was calm, with a pinch of mockery. It seemed he wasn't so much angered as humored.  
"..." Y/n pursed her lips, giving the alien an apologetic look before flashing him a nervous smile, "Sorry. Let's pretend that didn't happen."  
Megatron raised an optic ridge, before giving a soft sigh and beginning to walk towards the screen.  
"The observation deck is more vulnerable to damage on its own, but it is protected by a powerful energy shield. With the shields as they are now, the hull would be damaged before the command bridge in case of a battle," he suddenly said and Y/n, her eyes wide, was a second away from thanking him for something as simple as answering questions.  
"I see," the young woman nodded and gave her host a thankful look. The mech noticed it but didn't react to it as he came up to the 'window'.

  
  
Y/n looked at the huge screen, allowing herself to take in the view.  
It was late in the night and the Nemesis flew above the clouds right now. Those clouds, like a soft light-gray blanket, stretched to the horizon while the sky was rich with stars that shined like diamonds scattered on black velvet.

  
Megatron stayed quiet for a while, but she felt it when his eyes returned to her.

  
"My turn to ask questions," he told her. His deep voice, right now free of the almost always present harshness, made her feel like she was talking to a wise, experienced general...oh wait, she was doing just that.  
Looking back at the mech, she locked gazes with him and nodded, acknowledging that she was ready to answer.  
  
"How did you end up in the situation I found you in this night?" he asked and Y/n couldn't help but laugh a little, a small nervous laugh.  
"Back when you ordered that I be brought to the command bridge, we encountered Starscream when the Vehicons escorted me to you..."  
  
_'Don't call me or the guys by name when you speak to the officers or when they're nearby,'_ Steve once told her. When she asked, he said it was 'not to bring too much attention' to them. She didn't have any reason to refuse, after all, she didn't want to make life harder for her friend. Maybe it was a cultural thing.  
  
"Of that I am aware," Megatron interrupted her, nodding.

  
"Oh, so you probably know I had said something that may have angered him, and, as far as I have witnessed the extent of his ego, also insulted him," Y/n said, looking at the mech, carefully trying to gauge his reaction to her words. After all, Starscream was one of his lieutenants. So far, the alien lord remained silent and his expression unchanging. So she continued:  
"So today, at about 22:30, he came into the room where my house is. He ripped the roof off, caught me and proceeded to dislocate my limbs and break my bones," Y/n was actually proud of herself that her voice didn't falter, because the memory made shivers run down her back and her shoulders stiffen almost painfully. It was still not too long ago and she could still remember the pain all too easily.  
  
Megatron lifted his optic ridges slightly, looking her over thoughtfully.  
  
"He told me that Commander Soundwave was on a mission and not keeping watch on the room and you were not on the Nemesis, so nothing could stop him from doing anything he wanted to me. Not even your orders," Y/n added, partly hoping-...Okay, _wholeheartedly_ hoping that it would land the silver mech in deep trouble in the future. But her words were genuine, and the look in her eyes was that of someone remembering something truly painful, so she hoped Megatron understood the distress she felt at that moment, her being so small and fleshy after all.  
"He told me that, if I addressed him as a lord and pleaded for mercy, I would be spared," the young woman smiled, but the smile quickly turned to a scowl, "I don't think that would have accomplished anything aside from my humiliation. Even if it would have, I'd rather die."

  
  
"You are a proud one," Megatron commented and she couldn't quite decipher if he sounded surprised, amused or actually pleased with her actions. Maybe a bit of everything.  
"I've been told that on occasion when I was younger," Y/n chuckled lightly.  
"Not anymore?" Megatron mused and that made her smile.  
"I learned how to be softer in my words and actions and how to express my distaste in a more well-mannered way. I also became a better liar," she chuckled and shrugged. "The fact that, after finishing school, I wasn't forced to socialize with a minimum of 30 people of varying intellect, morals and upbringing also played a role."  
Megatron hummed thoughtfully, his optics studying her. She wondered if he'll soon get bored of that. After all, she was so small, he'll just run out of things to look at and she doubted the alien had as an interesting time studying her expressions as she did with his. 

  
"Anyway," the girl sighed, making herself continue the story, "He got mad at my behavior and threw me on the floor, injuring me further. _It hurt very much, by the way,_ " she couldn't help but add, narrowing her eyes at Megatron slightly, before continuing, "After that he left, saying that he will be back and will probably 'ruin my optics'. And I need those things, actually," Y/n rolled her eyes, sighing in irritation rather than distress. The threat of Starscream didn't seem like much a deal right now, not with Megatron nearby.  
"As my body healed, I took a sniper rifle and climbed on that locker-looking thing that stands in the corner of the room. When Starscream came in, I shot at him several times. Though a sniper rifle wasn't going to do any considerable damage to him, he does have those big red targetable eyes. I think I lucked out and at least some bullets either lodged themselves somewhere important or damaged something, because he started freaking out," Y/n smirked at the memory.  
"I then put the rifle to the side, slid down the rope that I had hanging from my highpoint and ran to the motorcycle," the girl said, while her mind, free of the adrenaline rush and whatever boost her modified genes gave her, was questioning how in the hell she pulled all that off.  
  
"You are aware that just driving out the door when Starscream came in would have been the quickest way out of the room?" Megatron said, the question clearly not meant as a 'did you know', but as a 'why'd you do it' inquiry.  
"I am," Y/n admitted, her shoulders dropping, "And I'm usually the logical one in dire situations, at least among my friends. The idea of just escaping was _right there_ , in the forefront of my mind, the entire time as I got ready for Starscream's return. I just...I pushed it aside because I wanted to get back at him. Or try to. I know that was a stupid decision."  
  
She sighed heavily and dragged her hand across her face, losing self-control for a second.  
  
"But I was probably about to be dead anyway, I thought, there was no one who could help me," she explained, looking to the side, at the night sky, as Megatron remained silent."So I figured I'd trade some of the time I had to live for a chance to harm him, if just a little...Damn, that was stupid."  
She softly chuckled, lowering her gaze to look at the sharp steel-colored digits, the stupidity of her stunt dawning on her now that she knew Megatron had already returned on board at that time. She could have gotten to him sooner. Then again, back then, she didn't know that and thought she was gonna die.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she made herself talk again, concluding the story:  
"So I drove as fast as the bike was capable of going. Soon, however, Starscream caught up with me. Jets are faster than bikes, after all. As he fired at me, the bike was damaged and I lost control of it, crashing. I think I broke something, I'm not sure, but it wasn't my legs, because I sprinted off as Starscream transformed and got closer. He laughed and said something, something mocking, no doubt," Y/n rolled her eyes in exasperation, "and stepped onto the bike. Maybe he thought that it was mine and that I treasured it, I don't know. While he was gloating, I took out my gun from its holster and shot the bike's fuel tank, causing an explosion. After that, I began running. Until I saw you coming towards us."

  
  
Finally finished, Y/n looked up at Megatron's face. 

  
He was...amused?  
  
It certainly seemed like he was. His optics narrowed slightly as his thin metal lips widened in a smile that, if Y/n allowed herself to be hopeful, was an impressed one.  
"For a human, you managed quite well on your own," he mused, his voice holding no hostility.    
  
"I really hope that one of these days I'll be able to just enjoy life again, without people hunting after me," she sighed, the words falling from her lips before she caught them. There was something about Megatron that made her talkative, somehow...Nah, she really should just keep herself in check more, she thought as she studied the warlord's face. He seemed to become thoughtful after her words.  
  
"I will make it known that you are not to be harmed, lest someone is willing to know punishment," the mech said slowly. Y/n gave him a long, stern look, her e/c eyes searching his crimson optics.  
"Please give me your word, Lord Megatron," she asked.

  
  
The Decepticon leader's optic ridges shot up. He then narrowed his optics at her and there was a nerve wrecking moment of silence before he spoke:

  
"You have my word, Y/n."

 

  
She felt relief wash over her and she allowed the stern expression she wore change to a softer, thankful one. Megatron's lips faltered in a shadow of a smile.  
  
"I honor my word," he continued, "After all, I am not Optimus Prime."  
  
Optimus Prime?...  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 


	14. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron tells Y/n about the War and the Autobots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron, why are you so tsun-tsun?

  
As soon as Megatron mentioned the name of his former brother and saw the look in Y/n's eyes, he knew she was hooked, her attention undividedly his.

  
  
It almost made him smile. Almost.

  
  
"Optimus Prime?" the human cautiously asked. So desperate to know what was going on, so trusting of him, who saved her life and answered her previous questions.  
  
Now, it was time to teach Y/n a bit of history.  
  
"I imagine that you are painfully starved for information," Megatron said, his optics studying the girl's face. She just nodded.  
"I'm not sure if you ordered your subordinates to keep quiet out of caution or distaste for humans," Y/n quietly said, her e/c eyes serious yet surprisingly understanding, "But, please, I would be thankful if somebody told me how it came to be that you came to Earth."  
   
The warlord nodded.  
  
"Very well, I will explain," he agreed and the look she gave him stirred something inside his spark. Was this what he once felt when Orion Pax was asking him questions? Or was this different? It was so long ago now, he was a different mech then, so he wouldn't remember.  
"Thank you," Y/n smiled, her shoulders relaxing. Oh, this was all too easy, it almost made him smirk. Almost. He was still about to tell a truly tragic story that genuinely got him in a gloom mood every time he thought about it.

  
  
He was about to change some details in the story, however. Something told him that if he were to open all his cards Y/n wouldn't be looking at him as approvingly anymore. Not that he needed her approval. Ridiculous.

  
At any rate, he looked at the screen and took a deep breath, partly for dramatic effect and part-genuinely. He caught a look of concern creeping onto Y/n's face. Ah, it seems it worked.  
  
"When I emerged from the Well of All Sparks, the caste system was already in place for an unimaginable amount of time..."  
  
And so he told her. Surprisingly, he suddenly found himself in a talkative mood, so his story became much less bare-boned than he intended.  
He told her about the Caste System, how cybertronians, after emerging from the Well of all Sparks were assigned to a caste, depending on their characteristics. Aside from how unfair it was already, quite often the task of determining one's caste also fell to bots who could be quite biased. So there was no telling why one newly emerged cybertronian was assigned to be a guard and the other of an almost identical frame and alt mode - a miner.

  
A miner was what he was assigned to be, he told Y/n. He was actually about to end it at that, but the look in her eyes stirred something in him. That realization of the injustice of it all by her, it made him remember more and he continued.  
A miner. He would never be ashamed of what caste he rose up from to be the feared and revered lord he was today, but the memories still scratched away at his spark chamber, though he would never admit it.  
A miner belonged to the Manual class, a lower caste. They were considered disposable by other cybertronians and, truth be told, not many better-off cybertronians even remembered to think about that they existed. Forced to work in hazardous, dangerous places and run on low-grade Energon, they weren't even given names as their lifespan was usually too short to even bother and their social status was too low for anyone to actually call them by name.

  
  
He caught himself rambling and went silent, looking at the human out of the corner of his eye. Though her gaze was attentive, he couldn't help but notice the sadness in her features.  
"For your own good, I do hope that it is not pity that I see," he almost growled. The girl shook her head.  
"There's a difference between empathy and pity, Lord Megatron," she said quietly, "It just pains me to know you, your people were living in such unfortunate circumstances at the time."  
"For not much longer," he said as he remembered what came next.

  
  
The Decepticon lord told her how in those deep, dark mines he would start to think about how there had to be more to life. However, as there wasn't anything or anyone around to confirm those thoughts of his, he turned to gladiatorial combat.  
As years passed, he became quite successful in the arena. He cast aside his old name, the name he gave himself in the mines, and renamed himself after one of the Thirteen Primes, drawing upon the old stories of the Thirteen that the miners told one another. 'Megatronus', he decided, was as a suitable moniker. A fallen Prime, like Cybertron's fallen society that, Megatronus hoped, could eventually be restored.  
He continued to thrive in the gladiator pits, seeing it as a way to escape the oppression of the caste system. After a particularly brutal match where he defeated several Insecticons, the crowd, while chanting, shortened his name to Megatron. He wasn't at all against that.

  
The metal giant looked at the human yet again. The story was about to go into a stage where he would have to be...more careful with his words, so a brief pause was in order.  
Y/n patiently waited for him to continue, her silence and the look in her e/c eyes speaking volumes. Thousands of years ago, he recruited mechs with this story, he knew how inspiring it was. A miner from Kaon survives the arena and rises up to the Council's oppression. Someone like that was worth following, wasn't it?  
He also noticed that he almost, almost told his former name to Y/n, which wouldn't do. He would have to murder her then. The overwhelming majority who recognized him by that name was long dead and the only two who were alive and in the know wouldn't even dare to imagine calling him by that name. Soundwave was his oldest and most loyal follower and the other...he was too honorable. Uttering that name was like pleading for death. And Megatron wasn't wasting time telling Y/n the story of his race just to kill her the next second.

  
  
His optics narrowed, focusing on the distant stars. Somewhere in that direction was his home, cold and dark.  
He continued the story, telling Y/n about how one day a data clerk from the golden city, Iacon, contacted him. He was naive, but curious and also displeased by the way the caste system took away the freedom from cybertronians.  
Soon, they began exchanging their ideas in intense but friendly philosophical discussions and, in a short time, became as close as brothers. Megatronus encouraged his intellectual friend to learn self-defence while the other provided the future leader of the Decepticons all the reading material he could ever dream of.

  
  
Megatron stopped again, taking a moment to explain how music, poetry and other arts were something meant only for higher castes, out of reach of the others' dirty servos.  
The look of quiet horror and anger on Y/n's face made him feel good somehow, he was glad that the human was so - how did she say? - empathetic to his race's struggles.

  
  
Time passed and, with the help of his followers and friend, Megatron was able to get the Council's attention. A hearing was held, both mechs were invited. Megatron poured his spark out, called out to the Council, told them that Cybertron was on the brink of war if something drastic wasn't done immediately. He told them that they had to appoint him Prime. He would be a Prime who knew the struggles of the lower castes but was able to also stand his own against those in the higher castes, both in actual combat and in a battle of rhetorics.  
The Council clearly feared him and, in a desperate attempt to stagnate the changes, appointed Megatron's friend to be the new Prime. The real kick to Megatron's spark was when his friend actually accepted, defending the Council and saying things could change slowly.  
Slowly. How many more had to die nameless while the changes were to be implemented?  
His friend happily took the position, talking about things that were more to the Council's liking. Appalled and betrayed, Megatron understood that his brother was now dead to him. At that moment, the war began.

  
  
His red optics diverted their attention from a constellation to Y/n. She looked distressed, mournful even, her e/c eyes meeting Megatron's optics for a second before lowering. But in that second he saw it. A shadow. A shadow of a doubt.  
Of course. Of course, someone like Orion or Y/n wouldn't just believe something that sounded like it could be interpreted differently. Fortunately, Megatron knew how to deal with that. Just don't leave any room for doubts. 

  
So he told her about the war. How inspired his followers were, how they gladly and honorably laid their lives to defeat the Autobots. Why did his side call themselves Decepticons? Because war sometimes requires deception and strategy, of course. Why did he have someone like Starscream as his officer? Because he is an excellent flyer and seeker commander, his other faults had to be overlooked because of that.  
  
Megatron didn't mention many things. He didn't mention the time he ordered the slaughtering of all the cybertronians in Nova Cronum who would not submit to the Decepticons, or when he poisoned the core of Cybertron. He did, however, tell her how Optimus Prime, his former friend, took the Matrix of leadership from the Core, making the planet go into a sort of stasis, and then fled to the stars, seemingly not bothered by the fact that it would lead to the war being fought on other planets.

  
  
"And so, Y/n, here we are now," he said quietly yet the seriousness in his tone was clear,"Our war was never with humans and the Decepticons came to your planet just to replenish our Energon supply. The Autobots, however, seem not to care where they are, constantly provoking conflicts despite us being on a planet full of life so fragile compared to our own."  
He turned his helm to look at Y/n properly and saw her looking at his digits, her expression lost.  
  
"Do you believe me now?" he asked, his voice too soft for his liking. Narrowing his eyes, silently scolding himself for getting too sentimental over the story of his homeworld, he continued to look at the young human. She nodded, closing her eyes like the story had caused her actual physical pain.  
"I do," she quietly said.  
"Are you sure?" he insisted as something in him suddenly wanted to be sure he managed to get the human to trust him. Not waiting for her answer, he waved his free hand and, as a holoscreen appeared in front of the 'window', he tapped on a few holokeys.  
Noticing the change in 'scenery', Y/n quickly looked over at the screen. A second later, she covered her mouth with her hand, her other arm hugging her side.

  
  
There, on the screen was Cybertron.

  
  
If Earth was apparently called a 'blue marble', Cybertron could have easily been called a diamond in its Golden Age when it shined a million different lights. Right now, however, the once breathtakingly beautiful planet was a sad sight. Scarred by war, Cybertron was almost completely dark and its two moons orbited the cripple of a planet, their surfaces also heavily damaged.  
  
It was a sight didn't look at often. Primus knows what dragged his servo to put it up on screen now.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he heard a quiet voice and remembered that there was another who was looking at his homeworld right now. Looking at Y/n, he couldn't help but raise his optic ridges. The human was genuinely grieving for his planet.  
"I'm so sorry this happened to Cybertron," she repeated, barely above a whisper, looking into his optics. For some reason, he just couldn't hold that gaze and looked at the planet again. It didn't help, her words echoed somewhere in his sparkchamber, like it wasn't her who was supposed to say these words, but hi-

  
  
Narrowing his optics, them becoming only slightly opened slits, he waved to the side, Cybertron disappearing in one swift move of his servo. A low painful growl of a hum left his chassis. Cybertron was his. He would rebuild it someday.

  
  
There was a long silence while they both stared at the familiar image of the starry sky of Earth as the screen returned to serving as a window.  
   
"I'm sorry I made you remember all that," he heard Y/n soft voice again and, in an instant, he was looking at her, ready to tell her off - after all, no one _makes_ Megatron do anything. But when his optics met the apologetic, yet warm gaze of e/c eyes he...just stared back at her for a while. He then sighed, his vents pushing out air as his optics became half-closed.  
  
"I hope you got your answers, because this is not a topic anybot is comfortable discussing," the Decepticon leader said and Y/n immediately nodded.  
"I did, I just...I feel bad that you had to stir so many painful memories for my sake," the human answered and as he stared into those e/c eyes he suddenly felt that the conversation became too intimate for his liking.  
"Let us end this little talk. Consider yourself lucky I was in a gracious mood," he said somewhat harshly and, with a proudly raised helm, walked out of the room.

  
  
The human girl immediately understood that he lost any wish to talk, so she - rather wisely - remained quiet. Or maybe she already had enough to think about to keep her silent.  
In any case, as they walked back Megatron couldn't get it out of his mind that he somehow said more to Y/n than he had planned and got caught up in his story too much. Fortunately, it seemed to make the human believe him all the more, but the fact still stood - Megatron hated losing even an ounce of control.  So his mood was not a pleasant one right now.  
It was because the human was so small and her existence on the ship so utterly inconsequential, he thought, that caused him to lose focus. After all, despite her surviving an encounter with Starscream, her life could be ended at any moment if Megatron so desired. That's what made him so talkative, he decided.

  
  
As they walked into the room where the human's little house stood, Megatron's optic ridge shot up. This was...well, Y/n had already told him what happened in this room, no point in being surprised.  
The roof of the cabin, smashed into several pieces, lay on the metal floor with rust-colored shingles scattered everywhere. The contents of the house were in disarray, probably the result of Starscream trying to catch the girl. Near the house, there was a red smudge, revealing to the expert optic of the Decepticon leader that that was the place where the human was thrown.  
Megatron's eyes traveled to Y/n. The girl sat in his servo, her back proudly straight and her eyes surveying the area coldly. 

  
"Someone will be sent to calibrate the door to detect you and to repair the roof," he said and the way Y/n flinched at the sound of his voice didn't escape his optics. He probably ripped her out of her thoughts. Not like he cared.  
The human femme looked at him as he lowered his servo to the floor, her e/c eyes having lost that warm light he saw in his quarters but still holding that undoubtedly respectful look.  
"Thank you," she nodded and jumped off his servo. As he looked at her, her back stiff and expression mostly unreadable, he reminded himself to tell the technician to calibrate the door so that it didn't respond to Starscream's form. The silver mech wouldn't disobey Megatron's orders anytime soon after today, but the Decepticon leader wanted to be sure. 

  
And there he thought keeping a human on board was easy. Pheh.

  
  
He rose to his pedes and, as he was at the door, he heard Y/n's voice:  
"Good night, Lord Megatron."  
  
He did not respond but nodded slightly before the door closed behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why the fck you lyyying, why you always lyin'? Huh, Megatron?


	15. Choose Your Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n and Megatron both suffer from insomnia, which results in them getting drunk together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DIDN'T EXPECT THIS, DID YA? :D
> 
> So I wrote this while I was slightly tipsy after celebrating my Birthday. Basically, both are a bit loony from the lack of sleep and lose even more of their usual composure after a few sips.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :D
> 
> I have two more on the way, and those actually feature some cute scenes. So...yeah :D  
> But, until then, enjoy the two drunk dorks.

 

Megatron didn't get any recharge time that night.

  
  
It wasn't something out of the ordinary, he sometimes went for a couple orbital cycles without 'sleep', as humans called it. Their medic, Knockout, tried to convince him that a good recharge was very important for the mind and frame, but fortunately, the red mech was a coward, so it wasn't hard to make him shut up with the 'doctor's recommendations.  
  
Like Megatron didn't know that recharge was important. But there wasn't anything he could do if his frame just wouldn't fall into recharge. Sometimes, it was because of all the thoughts he had, all the plans he needed to think over, all the memories that insisted on disturbing his rest. Other times, he sacrificed recharge time to do something that didn't tie into the Decepticon cause - like reading. It was always something he enjoyed, it put his mind at ease, provided the reading material was satisfactory.  
This night, however, it was...what would one call it? General nervousness, that didn't let him recharge peacefully. He hated this reason for him being awake the most. It was like his own body was mocking him, his own mind playing a cruel game of throwing random thoughts at him. He even caught his thoughts focusing on the human a few times, like he didn't grant her more of his time than any human deserved already.

  
  
Regardless, the next day - the 16th of September in a human timeframe - he went about his business as usual. Being up after an orbital cycle or two without recharge was nothing new and he wouldn't let it hinder him in any way.  
  
The day after that, he entered the command bridge without getting even a klik of recharge again. Sitting on his throne, he was sure that the crew of the bridge didn't leave the way he tapped his sharp digit on the throne's armrest unnoticed. He knew it unnerved them and he was glad that now it wasn't only him that wasn't enjoying the day as much.  
  
On the third recharge-less day he noticed that he was more inclined than normally to kill whoever got on his nerves. He didn't actually offline them, though, but he did smack some of them - after all, it was their own fault for acting stupid. Primus, he sometimes thought that if it wasn't for Soundwave the Nemesis would just instantly catch on fire and the Autobots would just magically appear, sitting on his throne just for giggles...Okay, now his mind was just messing with him.

  
  
On the fourth orbital cycle, Soundwave met him just outside the doors to the command bridge, blocking the way.  
"Step aside," Megatron said flatly. Soundwave didn't move.  
  
It this was any other bot, they would have been scrap on the floor right now.  
  
Megatron narrowed his optics. Soundwave's mask reflected the warlord's irritated and tired faceplate.  
"And what do you suggest I do instead?" the former gladiator inquired. Soundwave - 'shockingly' - didn't answer, but didn't move aside either, which could be interpreted as 'Do whatever you want, but you're not going to the bridge".  
" _Fine_ ," Megatron grumbled, rolling his optics. In his spark, he knew Soundwave was right, even if it was annoying."See to it that everything goes as scheduled."  
The Communications Officer nodded and, as Megatron was about to leave, played a recording of a familiar voice:  
"Oh, good morning, Commander Soundwave. And please forward a 'Good morning' to Lord Megatron too, if you see him today."  
Half-turning to the black mech, Megaron raised an optic ridge.  
"Are you just relaying the message or are you _actually suggesting_ I go see the human as a form of rest? Like I have nothing better to do."  
Soundwave remained silent. Megatron scoffed and walked off. What was Soundwave even thinking?

  
  
...

 

  
The doors slid open.

 

This was stupid.

  
The doors slid shut.

  
  
Almost immediately, Y/n appeared on the porch of her little house. Her surprised expression immediately brought him a bit of amusement. Maybe Soundwave wasn't all that wrong, the warlord wondered.  
The way her expression almost immediately changed to a pleased one, her e/c eyes warm and kind, surprised him. Not in a bad way too, he realized. It was pleasant to know someone was actually happy to see him.  
  
"Lord Megatron, good morning," Y/n said as she held a mug in her hands, "I would offer you some tea, but unfortunately I don't have the kind you like. The blue glowing one, that is."  
Megatron nodded in greetings and, after hearing her later words, couldn't help but be even more amused. Jokes?  
"See to it that you do next time," he warned as he knelt in front of the cabin, smirking.  
Somehow, it was all too easy to engage in conversation with this little human. Megatron was too tired to think about why that was.  
  
"Something tells me that if I won't I'll get to know how a fusion cannon to the face feels like," the girl chuckled.  
"Too much collateral damage, it would be easier to just throw you overboard," the warlord explained.  
"You do have a point," Y/n agreed, nodding and looking at him with a serious expression as if they were discussing something scientific. Her acting didn't hold for long, however, as she smiled again.  
"How are you, Lord?" she asked and, for a moment, Megatron wondered if someone had told her about his 'grumpy' behavior in the last few days. Nah, impossible, who would possibly do that?  
"I am...I have a break from work," he stated, looking the girl over. Did she seem paler? Now that he looked closer, she did. Her eyes also looked tired in a very familiar way, like-  
"Y/n," he asked, "When have you last recharged?"  
"Umm," the human gave him a thoughtful look.  
"It would be _unwise_ to lie to me," Megatron narrowed his optics and the human's shoulders instinctively stiffened.  
"Well, what is it today, the 19th?" Y/n sighed and shrugged, seemingly relaxing even with him still looking at her expectantly, "Then about four days ago."

  
  
Ha gave her a long look. He wasn't stupid, even if he was recharge-deprived.  
"Is it because of Starscream? He does not have permission to enter this room and the door won't open for him," the Decepticon lord said. Y/n chuckled softly, yet the sound didn't carry any joy in it.  
"Locked doors wouldn't keep your Second-in-Command away from me, he would have found a way, be it through ordering someone else to open it or somehow messing with the lock. By what I've learned, he's quite resourceful," the girl answered and sighed again, "But I do believe he won't go against your orders...for now, at least."  
"So then what hinders your recharge?" Megatron raised an optic ridge.  
The human shrugged. He scowled.  
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be difficult, I really don't know. My body just won't go to sleep," Y/n explained and then drank a bit from her mug, "I'm drinking herbal teas to calm my nerves down, but until now the only thing those managed to do is help me not freak out at bots from the lack of sleep."  
  
Megatron smirked at the statement, somehow he couldn't imagine this human freaking out.  
"...Did you just imagine me freaking out on you, Lord Megatron?" the girl asked, amusement clear in her tone.  
"Actually, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, thinking that you would act smarter than that," he said, his lips slightly quirking up in a half-smile.  
"I'm flattered," Y/n chuckled then added, sitting down on the stairs and lowering the mug onto her knees, "I am, really. So do you have a bit of time to spend with the human?"  
Megatron noticed that, probably because of her lack of sleep, the young human was less cautious and more relaxed while speaking to him. And he didn't necessarily dislike it.  
"Maybe just a bit," he answered, not letting on that he actually had no idea what to do aside from visiting Y/n.

  
The girl gave him a warm smile and drank a bit of her tea again, probably waiting for him to propose a topic of discussion. He thought about it for a nanoclick.  
"How is it that you still didn't request any 'food'? I doubt you can survive on that tea thing of yours."  
"Oh, I have a bunch of non-perishable food and water in the cabin. Unfortunately, most of my supplies were in the shack or in the basement, so I'll run out relatively soon," the human explained."Though I'd give up my soul for a burger or my mom's cooking right now."

  
  
The mention of her parent seemed to be what made the girl sigh heavily.  
"Lord Megatron, you are very experienced when it comes to military things, do you think that the men who were hunting me bought the story with a gas well or not?"  
He raised his optic ridges slightly.  
"Was that flattery just now?"  
"Huh?" Y/n looked at him, blinking a few times. She did that when she was confused, he noticed.  
"Oh, no, no. I'm just simple like that. If I think it, I'll say it, if I don't - I won't," she explained, her tired face making her seem even more non-threatening than normal.  
"That's just a long of saying that you're being honest," Megatron pointed out, a chuckle stuck somewhere in his chassis.  
"I guess it is," she readily agreed, her expression calm and soft. Somehow, just looking at her made him calmer, too.  
"In any case," he coughed a bit, returning to the question she asked him, "This could go either way, I suppose. The organization after you might decide that the explosion was your doing, seeing as the last time you were involved there was also an explosion."

  
  
He didn't like the way her gaze fell to the contents of her cup. He didn't like it one bit.

  
  
"Then again," he continued, "You mentioned that the one in charge of the project and of bringing you in was there and mentioned that his superiors lost their confidence in him. It's not without reason that we can assume that another failed mission and the loss of the person responsible for the project would be a cause for its shutdown."  
  
The girl didn't look up from the contents of her mug, but her lips did falter, forming a faint, unsure smile. Of course, Megatron thought, suddenly irritated for some reason, she would rather be at home, among other humans right now.  
  
"You do remember that, regardless of the organization's position, you are still not able to return to your human life...for now," he added, looking at her closely,"I did tell you that you are to remain on the Nemesis."  
Y/n threw back her head to look into his optics, surprise shining in those e/c colored orbs.  
"Oh, you thought I was...Oh, no, no," she managed a sad smile, "I was just worried about my family and friends. I don't know what I would do if someone harmed my loved ones to get back at me or to try and lure me out."

 

  
Oh, so she wasn't dreaming of leaving the Nemesis as fast as possible. Good, then.

  
  
"Judging by your earlier actions with both the mercenaries and Starscream, I have a pretty good idea what you would do," Megatron reasonably pointed out. The same thing he would do - go after them and harm them, either to save or to avenge.  
Y/n's quiet sigh was an indication that what he said didn't raise her spirits. Then again, Megatron knew full well he was bad at being reassuring, he was more gifted at either inspiring armies or intimidating the enemy. Not...this.

  
Frowning, he tried again:  
"As I said, if the project was in danger of being shut down, one more failure could have done it."  
The girl nodded and her shoulders slightly moved in what was maybe a tired shrug.  
"I'll get Soundwave to investigate the matter. If there is surveillance on your creators, he will know."

  
  
Ah, there it is. Those bright, hope-filled e/c eyes, their attention undividedly on him.

  
  
"Really? You can do that? You would?" she asked, holding her breath as she looked into his optics.  
Megatron nodded, a gracious half-smile finding its way to his faceplate.  
" _Thank you_ ," she breathed out softly, flashing him the widest, brightest, most warm smile he had seen from her to date. It actually caught him off guard a little.  
"It means so much, thank you, Lord Megatron," Y/n continued and he nodded, feeling like he indeed was so very honorable and kind. It was nice that someone on the ship knew how to express genuine gratitude.  
"You are welcome," he heard the words fall from his metal lips before he could think about them. It seems, much like Y/n, his lack or recharge time also made him less careful with his words. He was too tired to care by now.

  
"Tell me, Y/n," he inquired, making the girl look at him with curiosity, "Do you drink this 'alcohol' you humans have?"  
"I do sometimes," she carefully answered, "Why, may I ask?"  
"I have a sudden craving for high-grade and thought that you might make a satisfactory...companion in this affair," he explained, his voice sounding a bit too low due to tiredness.  
The human gave him a strange look, then rose to her feet and went into the cabin without a single word.

  
  
Huh. That was indeed rude.  
Oh, wait-

  
  
"You have _no_ idea how I need this after all I've been through," Y/n said as she walked back out, the mug in her hands replaced by a glass and a bottle of some kind. _'Château Castelnau de Suduiraut'_ was written on in in gold letters, but Megatron had no idea what the place 'Castle Castelnau' had to do with the golden liquid in the glass container. Was this bottle from a castle? A quick internet search revealed that the liquid was wine - an alcoholic beverage, and the 'Castle' part was the brand, a well-recognised one at that.  
  
Seeing his raised optic ridge, Y/n chuckled.  
"A friend brought it to me from France, he knew it was something I would love, but I never got around to opening it...Even though there were enough reasons to do that. Eh," she sighed and shrugged, "But at least now I have something to join you with."  
"You enjoy the juice of rotten grapes?" Megatron questioned as he smirked, though it was meant as more of a tease.  
"Noo," the girl chuckled, "I meant that I prefer sweet wines over dry ones. But I imagine it sounds gross to you in any case?"  
The Decepticon lord hmphed, rolling his optics.  
"Everything on Earth sounds strange to us."

  
With that, he extended his servo to Y/n. The human femme smiled and, grabbing a blanket from the rocking chair, carefully stepped into his servo. At his silent question, she looked at the blanket and smiled:  
"In case I get cold or need something soft to sit on."  
"Ah," he nodded. Right, humans got cold easily. They also got hot easily. They were generally fragile creatures, it was actually a wonder to him that they survived to be the planet's dominant species.

 

 

  
*******

 

 

  
  
Humans were good high-grade drinking companions. At least this one was, Megatron thinks as his third cube of high-grade is almost finished, the substance warming him up from the inside and already going to his recharge-deprived head.  
  
The human is sitting on his desk, and her bottle is half-empty - Megatron is already seriously considering sending one of the Vehicons to fetch more.  
But he is currently too preoccupied for that. He's rambling on about how he hated incompetence - be it that of his officers' or of lower-ranked subordinates'.

  
  
_It was like they were conspiring amongst themselves to act stupid just to piss him the frag off!_  
Y/n nods understandingly, her expression sympathetic.  
  
_Seriously, how hard was it to remember that if you mine for Energon, Autobots can and probably will show up, so guards are in order?_  
The girl nods yet again, mumbling a 'It's kinda self-evident' with a shrug.  
  
_Yes, yes it is! Then why does he have to deal with bots running around like scraplets on fire every slaggin' time the Autobots inevitably show up, like it's the first damn time?_  
"It can't be that bad, can it?" she questions, eyes curious, and it only fuels his ramblings.  
  
_It is! Well, no, they do follow protocol, yes, and they do attack, yes, but if a situation requires quick decision-making, somehow thinking on their pedes seems like an all-new concept._  
"Well, that's true, most people are bad at improvising," Y/n admits and then sighs, "Drink to that?"

  
He readily reaches out with his servo that holds the high-grade-containing cube. Y/n carefully touches it with her glass.

 

_Tsink!_

 

  
A strange human custom, he thinks as he pours the Energon down his intake.  
Somehow, however, Megatron went with it.  
They talk more, the high-grade and alcohol in their systems adding to their sleep-deprivation and switching off their self-control little by little. Megatron drinks far more than Y/n does, but that's fine. After all, she is such a small little thing, she doesn't need more.

  
  
...In the end, a Vehicon delivers a crate of alcoholic beverages to his quarters and is ordered to keep quiet under the threat of death. As Megatron returns, crate in servo,  and sits back down into the chair, Y/n starts giggling, then outright laughing.

  
  
"What?" he asks, raising an optic ridge.  
"I-I'm, gonna drink from a cube now too," Y/n giggles at the contents of his servo. He can't help but see the amusement in that and smirks.  
"Take one," he says as he effortlessly pries off the top side of the crate with a sharp digit. The girl gets up, the blanket now hanging on her shoulders like a mantle would, and looks into the crate.  
" _Nooo,_ " she drags out in disbelief and Megatron smiles wickedly, proud of himself, "Noo, I'm gonna die from alcohol poisoning!"  
She giggles, her cheeks slightly rosy, and grabs a new bottle of the same wine she was drinking previously.

  
"That is why I said to only take one," he chuckles and places the crate on the other side of the table, next to his high-grade cubes.  
"That was so condescending of you, don't you treat me like a child... _Lord_ ," she adds, and there's mischief in her smile and he likes that for some reason. It's good to see the girl so relaxed, so warm with him, so he decides that he won't scold her.  
"If I were to treat you like a child, I wouldn't have given you wine just now," he reasons as he opens another cube.  
"True," she agrees, taking out the bottle-opener from her hoodie's pocket and opening the bottle. As the clear golden liquid pours into her glass, Megatron wonders how in the pit he found himself in this situation, his pride banging at the walls of his sparkchamber, demanding that he cease this. But his recharge-deprived, tipsy mind and surprisingly glad spark tell him that it's been a while since he let himself relax like this, so might as well enjoy himself.

  
"Well, the first toast was to you, the second - to this fine ship, the third, fourth and fifth to the stupidity of both people and bots," Y/n chuckles, "Do you have any ideas, Lord Megatron?"  
He hums thoughtfully at that.  
"To victory," he finally says and there is a soft, understanding light in the girl's e/c eyes.  
"To your victory," she replies with a nod and a smile, and he readily offers her his cube, a pleased expression on his faceplate.  
  


_Tsink!_

 

  
There were such things as toasts in Cybertronian culture, as there were in probably any culture. The whole act of touching containers of beverages was what Megatron found new, completely useless yet still somehow satisfying.

  
  
"Now," the young human says after half of her glass becomes empty, "I remember you wanting to tell me something about Commander ScreamScream?"

  
  
Oh, Primus, this one was going to be long and loud.

  
  
Because, seriously, _how could it not?_ The seeker had gotten on Megatron's nerves for centuries, but even more so in the last decade or so, Unicron knows why.  
So Megatron may have rambled a good long while. But it was hard not to, not when his listener was encouraging him with all her tipsy phrases like 'Nooo, he didn't!', 'But _why_?', 'Oh gods, that's so stupid" and the like.  
It was no surprise that Y/n outright hated the seeker after her experiences with him, but even she seemed shocked how the silver mech could sometimes just freak out and cross the line.  
  
"Heh, Commander Freakout...that's also a possible name," Y/n muses. Megatron nods up slightly, his optics focused on her empty glass. The girl giggles. He likes that sound.  
"Okay, okay," she says as she refills the glass, "You know, I normally drink up to a couple of glasses with my friends."  
"Is that so?" he asks with a smirk.  
"It is," she slightly, even gracefully lifts and then lowers her glass, "To your health."  
"So you can do that without the touching of glasses?" the Decepticon leader says, his ego satisfied at the human's toast, "That is how cybertronians do it normally."  
"Oh, so there wasn't a period in your history where you killed each other with poisoned Energon while attending each other's festivities?" Y/n asks innocently, but soon enough a smile finds its way to her lips.

  
  
...What?

  
  
As Y/n explains where the tradition of touching containers of drinkable liquids came from, Megatron is both amused and impressed. Such a bloodthirsty race, these humans.  
  
"By the way, I have a question," his guest says and he nods, prompting her to continue, "I wondered what was behind that door there?"  
She nods to the door near the datapadcase. He raises an optic ridge.  
"Personal washroom."  
"Oh."  
"You want to see it, don't you?"  
" _Please._ "

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
The day and evening flew by surprisingly fast, as Y/n proved to be an exceptionally good listener and a good conversation partner. Or maybe that was just the tiredness and high-grade talking.  
  
In any case, as the sky on the screen turned dark, Megatron noticed his guest yawning for the third time that minute.  
"Getting tired?" he inquired, looking at her with curiosity.  
"I'm sorry," the human shook her head, "It's just -mnnnngh..."

  
As she closed her eyes, covering her mouth and inhaling deeply, Megatron felt a similar urge himself. He yawned and suddenly felt like his body really, _really_ wanted to recharge. Looking back at Y/n, he noticed her interested gaze that directed at his face.

  
"Ah," he smiled knowingly, guessing the reason, "Are you intimidated by my dentas?"  
"Not intimidated, just...impressed, I guess," the girl smiled, "I think it's time for me to leave and let you rechange, Lord Megatron."  
The softness which that sentence was said with worried and calmed the Decepticon at the same time. No one on the ship would dare and speak to him like that. Right now, however, he didn't mind.  
"I'm not in the mood to carry you back to your house," he told her.  
"It's fine, I'll just-"  
"You will _not_ go by yourself, not in the state you are in," Megatron said adamantly, rising up from his chair slowly. The human wisely decided not to argue.

  
"Well then," she sighed, covering herself with the blanket more comfortably, "I guess I can sleep here too."  
"You are also _not_ sleeping on the table like a drunkard," he said, rolling his optics and offering his servo to her. Primus, human, get the hint!  
Y/r raised an eyebrow, but stepped into his servo carefully.  
"You don't have to be so careful, I will not harm you," Megatron grumbled as he started walking.  
"I'm not careful because of that, it's just that it's your hand- I mean _servo_ , so naturally I wanna be careful," the girl explained, "I'd rather not cause you discomfort by stomping around."

 

  
Megatron actually couldn't suppress a chuckle, his mood instantly lighter.

 

  
"You wouldn't be able to harm my servo even if you tried, so be at ease," he said as his optic lids suddenly felt all too heavy. By the looks of it, Y/n wasn't faring any better.  
As he placed her on his berth and lay down himself, he looked over to the human as she curled into a ball and snuggled into her blanket, the top half of her head being the only thing that was not covered.  
"I do hope Cybertronians don't flail around when they sleep," she said in a small, sleepy voice.  
"We do not. Much," he smirked and he saw her eyes crease up a bit - a telltale sign that she was smiling.  
"Goodnight, Lord Megatron," the girl sighed and closed her eyes.

  
Megatron nodded and hummed quietly in acknowledgement before shutting his optics and instantly falling into recharge.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, Megatron, learn how to say 'Goodnight' already, don't be rude :/  
> Also:  
> 1.Imagine a sleepily grumbling Megatron.  
> 2.Squeal.  
> 3.Profit.


	16. The Couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n continues to meet new 'people' aboard the Nemesis and settle into her new (temporary?) life. As time flies by, she notices that there's one mech she doesn't see nearly enough of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Knockout and Breakdown are my OTP, I adore them. 
> 
> Also, I just have to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who's reading this, leaving kudos and comments. Thank you so much!
> 
> Extra thanks go to a cinnamon roll by the username of BlueLight1222, thank you so much for the praise and encouragements <3

 

When Y/n awoke, she had just one question:

  
  
_'Mother, where did you go wrong in raising me that now I'm waking up on flying spaceships next to alien robots?'_

  
  
As she lay there looking at the huge cybertronian that was resting a couple of meters away, her mind was refusing to work. One could have assumed it was because of a hangover but, apparently, the healing thing worked on that too.  
No, her mind wasn't working because she just couldn't look away from Megatron's face.  
  
He just looked so...so peaceful. Tired, maybe even a little sad, but, above all, peaceful.  
  
When he was awake, the Decepticon leader was a dominating presence, his red optics catching sight of everyone in the room, his voice powerful, his stature commanding.  
Right now, however, his face was relaxed, his breathing even and deep. Y/n didn't dare move even a little for some time as if her smallest movement could shatter this serene spell. She was actually content with just watching the slumbering warlord for a while, feeling her soul fill up with a warm, tender feeling for her savior and host.

  
  
Oh yes, Y/n, she thought, go falling for the giant metal alien. That's not ridiculous _at all_.  
The young woman barely contained a laugh, instead smiling quietly at the sleeping Cybertronian.

  
  
Well, she was adult enough to acknowledge a tiny little crush if she felt that one somehow managed to sneak up on her, slip past her mental walls and wriggle its way into her heart. Congratulations, Y/n, this is a new high. Book characters, superheroes, now actual 10 meter-tall aliens. Hoo, boy.  
  
Heh, well, there was nothing bad with having an  innocent little crush, was there? It's like a crush on a teacher - you know it's there, it's stupid, it's never going be a thing, it _never should be_ a thing, but it still makes you feel all fuzzy inside and, most importantly, it will inevitably pass.  
So might as well just try not to embarrass herself in front of an alien general and hope that he won't regret drinking the previous day and evening away with a human.

  
  
She should eventually try and get up as quickly and quietly as she can, Y/n thought. Megatron most probably wouldn't be happy if he saw her laying there, in his berth and staring at him.

  
...Just one more minute, maybe.  
It was just- She might not get another chance like this again, to see Megatron like this - with his guard down, his lips neither in a frown or a confident smirk, his optics closed. It was almost sad that one couldn't see such genuine peace in him while the metal giant was awake. It seemed like sometimes when they were alone she caught something similar-  
  
Then again, she could very well be wrong. She most likely was.  
  
Now, let's see if she can escape the berth without waking the resting lord. From various tests with Steve and his friends, she knew that her powers of being mentally invisible didn't work on Cybertronians. But maybe, if she moves slowly like this-

  
  
**_SLAM!_ **

  
  
Y/n felt her soul liquefying and draining to somewhere in her stomach. Her heart beating like a jackhammer, she looked to her right and her left - okay, both sides of her were still intact. She sighed in relief and let her head fall back on the berth.  
Well, there goes the escape. There's no escaping when there's a giant metal hand covering you up to your shoulders like a steel cage.  
  
Looking back at Megatron, Y/n's e/c eyes met all-too-familiar crimson optics.

  
"Umm, good morning?" she smiled nervously, "I guess you're a very light sleeper, huh, Lord Megatron?"  
The warlord's optics narrowed while his sleepy gaze focused on her as he now lay on his side.  
"You..." he said in a raspy, gruff voice before looking at the servo that was covering her. Groaning softly, he yawned and lay on his back again, taking his huge metal hand off her.  
Free at last, Y/n sat up on the berth, her hands still clutching the blanket. Now's her chance to leave. Does she have to say something? He closed his eyes, maybe he fell asleep again?  
  
"You're fortunate I did not harm you," Megatron suddenly spoke, his voice still gravelly and his optics still closed, "I am not used to anything besides myself being in my berth."  
"Yeah, I'd probably react similarly if there was something small moving near my head and I didn't know what it was," Y/n said thoughtfully while rubbing her arm, chasing the rest of the goosebumps away.  
"I knew it was you," the alien lord sighed, "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this little conversation."  
"Oh," she raised her eyebrows, "Then why the scare?"

  
  
Megatron shrugged and yawned.

  
  
"You're a big meanie," the girl chuckled,"Lord."  
"Do not get insolent with me, girl," the Cybertronian warned, but his threat was half as effective because of a big sweet yawn that came right after.  
"Are you well-rested or do you maybe want to recharge for a bit more?" Y/n asked softly, knowing how irritating loud voices can be to a sleepy person, "Sorry for waking you."  
Slightly open crimson optics rested on her.  
"I have recharged enough. Besides, it is too late to go into recharge again. It is almost noon, as you humans call it."  
"You know the time just like that?" immediately, she was ready to facepalm, "I mean of course you do, you can connect to the internet."  
"Actually, I have an internal chronometer," Megatron explained as his voice got closer to what was considered his normal one.  
"Wow, that's really impressive, actually," Y/n mused as she looked at the Cybertronian who slowly sat up and looked down at her, his gaze becoming more confused the more he stared at her.

  
Somehow, she felt that the reality of the situation was only now dawning on the steel-colored mech. She could almost see the 'The Fuck?' written in his optics.

  
  
"Well, I am very grateful for yesterday's invitation, Lord Megatron, it was lovely, you're an amazing host, but it's past time I left," Y/n chuckled nervously under the intense gaze of crimson optics and flashed Megatron a smile, before rising to her feet and starting to walk towards the edge of the cybertronian bed.  
It had to be about 5 meters above ground. Five meters she could handle to jump off of, she thought, she already had practice with four. In any case, she had to get out of this bed now, because who knows what Megatron was thinking at the moment.  
Just when she was about to jump, she heard the Decepticon move and, suddenly, she was picked up by the hood of her hoodie and placed on Megatron's open palm. When she turned to look at the mech, his optics were looking straight ahead and his expression was unreadable. As he got up and walked out of his room, she decided that it was probably a good time to stay quiet. On their way towards Y/n's home, they encountered Soundwave. Stopping the Communications Officer with no more than a look, Megatron placed the young woman into his servos before walking off, leaving both the dark-purple bot and the human girl confused.  
When the warlord's massive frame disappeared behind a corner, Soundwave turned his screen-covered face to Y/n, who also looked at the Third-in-Command.  
  
As the silence stretched out, Y/n carefully spoke up:  
"Can I help you, Commander Soundwave?"  
More silence. As the mech continued to stare at her, the young woman wondered if he was thinking something over. Suddenly, text appeared on his mask:

  
[ _Inquiry: Did Megatron recharge?_ ]

  
 "Yes, yes he did. From about 23:00 yesterday to about 15 minutes ago," she answered, nodding, seeing no reason she should hide something like that from the officer.  
The mysterious mech nodded, then carried her to her cabin.  
"Could you maybe please tell me if, judging by his expression, Lord Megatron was angry or not?" Y/n asked, slightly confused. She didn't think she did anything wrong, but she may have done something accidentally and not realize it. Or was it just that the Cybertronian was sulking about a human sleeping in his berth?

  
As expected, Soundwave remained silent.

  
  
*******

 

  
In the next two weeks, she barely saw Megatron. When she did, it was when he passed her and the bots she was hanging out with in the hallway somewhere. To her greetings, the steel-colored mech answered exclusively with nods and split-second eye contact.  
  
Well, if the Decepticon lord did not desire her company, it was only logical for her to do the same and just turn her attention to hanging out with other inhabitants of the ship. Whatever Megatron's deal was, either shame about sharing a drink with a human or some other reason, she wasn't a child to go and complain to him or cry about it.  
  
In a way, maybe this was even good. The stupid mini-crush she barely started feeling could die down faster.  
  
Of course, she caught herself thinking about the Decepticon lord and outright missing their conversations sometimes, but that was because Megatron really was a good conversation partner and very knowledgeable when it came to many things. He also possessed a sense of humor that, while could be considered too dark by many, was quite appreciated by Y/n.

  
A shame, she thought, that the alien lord didn't want to hang out anymore. But maybe he just got bored, the fact of a human on board losing its novelty.

  
  
Again, whatever the reason, Y/n still had enough to do on the Nemesis. After all, there were other Cybertronians on board and, fortunately, Y/n got a chance to meet and hang out with some of the more tolerable/interesting ones!

  
  
In fact, she actually fell into a kind of a routine.  
  
Her mornings were usually reserved for "Me-time", where she would surf the internet(Primus, bless Soundwave for allowing her to finally have some internet connection) while eating breakfast. Sometimes Steve or some of his Vehicon friends would come by, filling her in on the latest news from the barracks and just engaging in some friendly banter.  
  
A bit later, she would go visit Soundwave to say 'good morning' and ask the mech the daily question about how her parents were doing. Despite not speaking, the Third-in-Command got her the bare-boned, but still priceless information. There was no suspicious activity whatsoever, it seemed quite likely that her parents were not at all in danger, but she still enjoyed the daily updates and was endlessly thankful for them.  
Sometime last week, she also got to meet Laserbeak, who was at first quite cautious but quickly became very enthusiastic about her visits.  So, soon enough, her quick visits changed to longer ones, allowing her to spend a bit of time with the bird-like deployer. It looked like the more time Y/n spent with the minicon, the more accepting Soundwave was of her presence in his office.  
It was hard to be sure with Soundwave, but the young woman gradually grew better at reading his body language.  
  
Noon was usually a 'Knockout & Breakdown' time.  
The minute the three met, it seemed like stars aligned and blessed them with a dynamic that worked, in most cases, perfectly. Y/n's appreciation for the finer things in life and her silver tongue immediately struck a cord with the red medic and her sense of humor and curious nature got the larger blue mech on her side. In turn, Knockout's willingness to enlighten Y/n on Cybertronian physiology and his Tony Stark-like demeanor(self-obsessed, sometimes insufferable drama queen, but still witty and the definition of sex appeal) never failed to draw the human into the Nemesis' medbay every single time. As well as Breakdown's simple(not stupid, just uncomplicated), likable nature and his seemingly unending supply of stories of his or his&Knockouts adventures. Not to mention, the two were clearly starstruck lovers and Y/n couldn't help but be genuinely happy for them. They seemed to appreciate the sentiment but warned her not to gush about it publicly. Done deal.  
  
Depending on how lost the trio got in time and if someone had actual important things to do, her evenings could go two ways. Either she got stuck in the medbay until nightfall, stories and laughter filling the couple's workspace, or she managed to spend the evening in the cabin. Sometimes she got a quiet evening to herself(she'd read or surf the web, or watch a movie, or play a game), other times it was a nice little evening chatting with her ~~former jail guard~~ guardian, Steve. There was also a possibility of Steve being followed by his friends, then the evening tended to be a bit hectic, sometimes leaving her exhausted by the end of it, but still harboring warm feelings towards the Vehicon dorks, despite all their questions, stupid ideas and complete inability accept a loss at fighting games.

  
Of course, things weren't all sunshine and rainbows.

 

  
Y/n noticed that the majority of Vehicons weren't all too inclined to be friendly with her. You can't win over everyone, she thought, as she decided that it didn't bother her much. This was alien military, so of course she would be distrusted and disliked, she was an outsider after all.  
The young woman also noticed that many of the Vehicons weren't too bright. Steve said not to think about it too much, but Y/n sometimes still wondered - was it from being cooped up on the ship for so long? Or not knowing much more than this war that lasted for thousands of years? It was tragic, really, if that was the case. Were the Vehicons unwilling or unable to broaden their outlook on life?  
'Unwilling', Knockout once assured her with a fabulous wave of his servo, advising her not to waste time thinking about 'mostly idiots'.  
  
Being familiar with the officers of the ship and being liked/tolerated by most of them gave her a certain security on the Nemesis. Megatron's threat of punishment in case of her mistreatment was also good motivation for the crew to at least be civilized towards her.  That was all she needed, really. Just for them to be civil, they sure as hell didn't have to like her.  
So a sort of non-verbal agreement was reached, the bots that didn't like her didn't touch her and she didn't bother them. Simple.

  
  
There was also another negative thing about the Nemesis.  
Starscream.

  
Y/n thought about that one long and hard. Even with her emotions in check and her thoughts focusing exclusively on facts, she came to a conclusion that her relationship with the seeker was so poor exclusively because Starscream was **a gigantic sadistic douchebag**.  
No two ways about it. The fact that everyone she spoke to on the matter immediately confirmed it made Y/n decide that she should just avoid the silver mech as much as possible.  
They did run into each other a few times, but aside from them narrowing eyes at each other and trading a few insults here and there, no further conflicts arose.  
But, still, her worst nightmare would be meeting the seeker alone in a hallway. And she still sometimes flinched when she heard the cabin's roof make the littlest sound. Also, despite her shoulder having long since healed, it still ached whenever she thought of Starscream. She decided that it was psychosomatic in nature.  
  
Fuck that guy.

  
  
On a different note, Y/n would often catch her thoughts drifting off and end up circling around Megatron. Sometimes it was brief, like she would momentarily remember that joke she told him about Energon tea and the way he responded in kind while making herself some coffee in the morning. Other times, while she was already slipping into sleep, the memory of those sleepy crimson optics made her snap awake and groan in frustration at herself and the warlord.  
  
What was his major malfunction, anyway?

  
  
...Huh, those Cybertronian expressions were indeed catchy as hell.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
"..., so he screams 'How dare you?!'," Knockout rolls his optics while he gestures with his servos, imitating Starscream, "And then we hear Megatron from the other side of the command bridge, going 'Staaarscree'- Nonono, I simply can't imitate it well enough. Breakdown, if you would, please?"  
The blue mech smirks, clears his throat and roars the seeker's name in an all-too-familiar manner, all three current residents of the medbay beginning to laugh right after.  
"That was just a despicable thing to do. I love it," Y/n chuckles, curling a lock of h/c hair onto her index finger.  
Indeed, making the silver mech lose it while Megatron was resting on his throne was a hilarious idea.  
"So," Breakdown begins, looking at Y/n and lightly elbowing his partner,"We had his thing we wanted to tell you..."  
"Yeeeah," Knockout supports, his optics narrowing.

  
  
Y/n was, no joke, ready to receive an invitation to a wedding.

  
  
"We saw Megatron at your door."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you're telling me he /did/ come to visit her? Huuh? Next chapter, away! :D


	17. Tea Preferences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n learns that Megatron went to visit her. She does something about it. Someone assists her in that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so let's imagine Cybertronians ingest Energon in different ways. Like, cool or heated. I imagine they would have found some way to make their food at least a bit more varied, in addition to making it high/medium/low grade.  
> So, yeah.

 

"We saw Megatron at your door."

  
"Huh?" the girl blinks in confusion.  
"Yeah, so what's going on there?" Knockout wiggles his optic ridges, his optics intrigued.  
"I ah- Emmm," Y/n also raises an eyebrow as her brain tries to catch up, "I kinda have no idea. He had no problem coming into my room before. When was this?"  
"Yesterday evening, around 20:00," Breakdown informs, the curiosity in his optics an innocent one, contrasting the red mech's, "We were passing by and thought we'd visit you, but kinda reconsidered when we saw Lord Megatron just there in front of the door. He looked mad, too."  
"Yeah, did you do something? Please don't say you did something stupid. But if you did, tell us all about it," Knockout insisted, which got Y/n even more confused.  
"Guys, I was taking a bath in the sink between 7 and 9 PM, I wasn't even in the room," Y/n's eyebrow threatened to just fly off at the rate that it was getting higher and higher on her face.  
"I still can't get used to her being able to take a bath _in the sink_ ," Knockout whispered to Breakdown.  
"I can hear you, you know," the girl deadpanned, crossing her arms.  
"I know you can, dear, the grown ups are talking, wait a sec," the crimson mech teased and Y/n rolled her eyes, chuckling.  
"Then maybe the 'grown ups' can tell me why Megatron could have been pissed at me?" she let a curious, slightly sarcastic expression rest on her face while her mind was in utter confusion. Megatron wanted to visit her yesterday? If he needed her for something, he would have ordered Steve or somebot else to bring her to him, right? So whatever he wanted, it wasn't important, right? Then again, every visit from Megatron was important, the fact he came to see her was important-

  
  
A slim metal finger lightly tapped her on the head.

  
  
"You spaced out," Knockout informed her with a smug smile.  
"Just thinking about why he'd come over," Y/n answered with a thoughtful expression, ignoring Knockout's hints and sly smiles.  
"Maybe wanted to get drunk again?" Breakdown shrugged.  
  
She had told these two about the fact that she had shared a drink with the lord, but never went into any detail. Yet, that was apparently enough for it to become a sort of inside joke about Y/n being Megatron's drinking buddy.  
  
"Who knows," Y/n sighed, "Well, apparently it's not important because otherwise I would have been brought to him regardless of where I was at the moment."  
Then again, every visit from Megatron was important, the fact he came to see her was- Stop, she already had this line of thought.

  
"True that," Breakdown agreed while Knockout was looking at the young woman, his glowing red optics thoughtful. Y/n returned the stare with one of her own, but he just waved it off-  
"No, no, nothing. More importantly, aren't you worried that you angered our fearsome master?" the red mech inquired with his usual smooth tone. Y/n could swear, this bot was the definition of sex appeal in a universal dictionary somewhere. It took a special kind of Breakdown to keep up with something like Knockout, especially when the medic was trying to be even more charming than he naturally was.  
"Not really, should I? I mean, if he wanted to punish me, he'd find me and do just that," Y/n shrugged, "But I kinda feel bad now for not being there."

  
  
"Well, you could just go visit him yourself."

  
  
Knockout and Y/n turned their heads, looking at Breakdown in shock. The blue mech chuckled and scratched the back of his helm.  
"It's a joke, come on! That'd be suici- Knockout. Knockout, no."  
"Knockout, _yes_ ," the red mech smiled, the look of mad inspiration in his optics beginning to creep Y/n out.

  
  
*******

 

  
As the two idiots she had the luck to call friends pressed the 'doorbell' button, transformed and sped off down the hall as fast as they could like some neighborhood pranksters, Y/n sighed heavily. She then anxiously looked at the huge metal door to Megatron's quarters.

  
There was silence for about 5 seconds before the door slid to the side with a soft 'whoosh'.

Oh, wow, she almost forgot how huge he was.

  
  
"What?" Megatron growled, non-too-pleased, but then fell silent when he realized that there was no one at his officers' or the Vehicons' optic level.   
"Good evening to you too, Lord Megatron," Y/n tried to be witty, but when those crimson optics instantly focused on her she felt her heart skip a beat and whatever words she had prepared fly out of her head. A momentary look of surprise flashed on Megatron's face before it was replaced by an expression of slight annoyance.

  
  
"Y/n. Why are you here?"

  
  
"I brought some of that tea you liked," the young woman smiled innocently and nodded to a hot cube of Energon standing near her, "Blue and glowing."  
The alien warlord raised his optic ridges and his expression seemed to soften. Y/n took that as a good sign.  
"Sorry if I disturbed your rest, and, um," she shrugged lightly and gave the mech a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry if I did something to make you mad."  
Megatron looked at her, still a bit surprised and thoughtful, but then slowly knelt down and took the blue cube into his left servo, offering the right one to Y/n.  
"I take it you had...assistance, in bringing me this?" he mused as his eyes stayed on her while she carefully stepped into his huge palm.  
"Maybe," the girl smiled, "But please don't make me tell you who, I still need them alive."  
The lord rose to his feet, his head cocking slightly to the side, optic ridge raised.  
"You seem to have made friends fast," he said and she could catch a hint of displeasure in his voice as he walked back into his quarters.  
"Does that worry you, Lord Megatron?" she decided to just ask honestly, "Do you disapprove of your subordinates spending time with me? Is it a question of military protocol?"  
Megatron made a sound somewhere between a hum and a hmph.  
"No, it is not about protocol," he answered and she could just feel that he was hesitating whether to continue or not. Deciding not to pressure the giant alien robot into anything, the young woman just wordlessly jumped off his servo when he brought her over the desk, her feet softly tapping on the metal surface as she landed.

  
A few datapads lay on the desk but were pushed to the side as the warlord placed the cube of hot Energon where he could comfortably reach it.

  
"Were you working? Should I go and not get in the way?" Y/n wondered out loud, looking over the desk.  
"It's fine," Megatron sighed, making her look at him. He looked tired yet at ease, his crimson optics holding no hostility towards her whatsoever. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again:  
"I went to visit you three times in the past two weeks. You were not there."

  
  
Holy shi- _Really?_

  
  
As she started chuckling, the Cybertronian raised an optic ridge, clearly not appreciating her reaction.  
"Does it amuse you that I wasted my time?" he asked sternly and Y/n shook her head, smiling.  
"No, it's not that. It's just that it was all just one big stupid coincidence that we didn't see each other for two weeks, and here I was thinking that you've grown tired of me, were mad at me for something or just plain didn't want to see me anymore."  
"Ah," realization flashed in the mech's optics and he nodded slightly, "I see. And I already came to a conclusion that you were avoiding me."  
"Why would I do that?" Y/n chuckled, looking at the Cybertronian warmly, "You're my favorite conversation partner on the ship, Lord Megatron."

  
  
Was that going too far? Was it? Well, she said it so no use backpedaling. Besides, it was a genuine sentiment, one that she was not ashamed of.  
And when Megatron's surprised expression was replaced with a pleased smile, she was really, _really_ glad she had said what she said. The cybertronian lord's smile was something she very much liked seeing.

  
  
"Is that so?" he inquired, sitting back in his chair, "Funny, I thought my medic and his assistant were your favorite mechs on the Nemesis."  
"You _knew_ ," she gasped and Megatron's smile grew wider, " _Of course_ you knew. Is there anything Commander Soundwave doesn't tell you?"  
Y/n chuckled, shaking her head.  
"Anyway," she said, looking into those glowing red optics, "Next time, please just call me if I'm not there or come get me. There's probably nothing I'd place as more important than spending a bit of time with you, you carving out time out of your busy schedule just to see me and all."

  
  
It was logical, wasn't it? If he, a literal army-commanding warlord, was willing to find some time for her, she should appreciate the gesture. No point in being a rude guest.

  
  
"I will remember that," Megatron said as he nodded, his voice deep and appreciative, making her giddy on the inside, "I was of the opinion that your phone did not work on board the Nemesis, though."  
"It doesn't, not in the traditional sense, there's no service. But since Commander Soundwave granted me internet access, you can reach me through an app," she explained, taking out her phone and briefly looking at the screen.

  
126 new messages in the muted group chat with the Vehicons. Figures. Probably spamming stupid meme gifs again.

  
Chuckling, she brought up the menu screen and selected the profile option.  
"Here," she showed Megatron the screen, "You can find me with this account number and username."  
The giant alien nodded and Y/n put the phone back into her pocket.

  
"So. Are you well, Y/n?" the warlord suddenly inquired and she was _so glad_ that he cared enough to ask. Giving him an appreciative smile, the young woman decided to describe her time to him - briefly, not to bore the mech. To her surprise, he requested details, wanting to know how she felt on one matter or the other. Did he actually miss her as much as she missed him?

  
  
Hush, brain, don't go running off with that rich imagination.

  
  
Anyway, as she was finished, she returned the gesture, genuinely interested in how the steel-colored mech was doing. The lord seemed to try and also keep it brief, but she wasn't having any of that, encouraging him to drink his Energon and talk to her. Quite soon, it was like they didn't take that two-week break at all, both engaging in conversation, gradually relaxing to the sound of each other's voices. Only when her phone showed that it was 03:14 AM did she find herself on the porch of her cabin again, the kind Cybertronian having carried her home.  
"Well then," she said, clasping her hands behind her back and placing her weight on one leg, "Thank you for the nice evening, Lord Megatron, it was wonderful to see you again."  
"You are welcome, Y/n," the mech nodded, his optics fixed on her, "I enjoyed your company, too. Let us not wait another two weeks to repeat this."  
  
Ta-dum. _Tadum-tadum-tadum-_ Stop it, heart. Jeez.

  
Flashing the lord a warm, a bit mischievous smile, the young woman crossed her arms.  
"I'd be happy to. That is, if you don't decide that you're tired of me or mad at me."  
The Cybertronian raised an optic ridge and smirked.  
"And you, that you'd rather hide from me."  
Both shared a soft chuckle.

"Sound recharge, Y/n," the warlord said, his voice just a bit lower and softer, just enough for her to catch it.  
"Good night, Lord Megatron," she wished in turn, keeping her eyes on the alien as he nodded and got up, towering over her small house. Somehow, though, it didn't make her feel uneasy. It made her feel safe.

As the warlord exited the room, the girl went into the cabin. Almost immediately, she got a message from Knockout and Breakdown:

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Saw Megatron carrying you home. Glad you're besties again!_  
_I-Break-Stuff: Also, that you're alive._  
_HandsomeRedDevil: That too, sure._  
  
Y/n actually laughed out loud at that and rolled her eyes before replying:

  
  
_Is there anyone on this ship who doesn't spy on me? Come on, guys!_

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff: We were worried._  
_HandsomeRedDevil: I was mostly curious._

  
  
_I hate you and I love you, Knockout._

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Sorry, dear, I'm taken. But duly noted, with thanks._

  
  
_Breakdown, how do you live with him?_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Choose your words carefully now._  
_I-Break-Stuff: ..._  
_I-Break-Stuff: I feel blessed by Primus that I had the luck of meeting the magnificent mech that is Knockout._

  
  
_Ahah, okay._

  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Good choice. Ok, Y/n, buona notte._  
_I-Break-Stuff: 'night, Y/n._

  
_Thanks, guys, you two have a good recharge too!_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Thanks! Sound recharge, Breakdown, dear <3 <3 <3 _  
_I-Break-Stuff: Good night cycle, beautiful <3 <3 <3 :*_  
_HandsomeRedDevil: :* :* :*_

  
  
_Guys, you're literally in the same berth right now._

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff:  :* :* :* :*_  
_HandsomeRedDevil: :* :* :* :* :* :*:* :* :*_

  
  
_...I'm outta here._

 

 

  
Chuckling, Y/n put her phone beside her pillow and snuggled into the covers, happy that the whole thing with Megatron cleared up.  
Sleep came to her easily that night.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when your friends start purposefully being intolerably lovey-dovey in chat :D


	18. Concern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n tries to be useful, which results in Megatron being worried.

 

"Y/n, get in there," Knockout ordered, but the young woman already dove back in.  
Where? Into the chassis of a Vehicon, hot Energon gushing everywhere, splashing all over her arms and chest. The improvised mask Knockout made her out of a piece of glass helped in not getting any of the glowing blue liquid in her face, so Y/n was currently to her waist in a cybertronian's chassis, hard at work, stitching and welding together the smaller fuel lines. The remarkable medic that he was, Knockout would still have found the process time-consuming, just because of how arduous it was. For Y/n, it was like working on something akin to TV cables(if TV cables were pumping out blue glowing blood everywhere) of various sizes, so the work got done faster and gave Knockout and Breakdown the opportunity to work on either other parts of the wounded Vehicon, or on others who needed medical attention.

  
  
And there were a few.

  
  
Apparently, the Autobots launched a surprise attack on another mining operation and while they were ultimately forced to retreat with the arrival of Megatron and Starscream, many bots got injured thanks to both the Autobots and the Energon explosion that occurred mid-battle.  
As she tied off a finer fuel line, stitched it to its severed half and renewed the Energon circulation, Y/n caught herself genuinely hating Megatron's foes. Not only did they attack a mine to steal some Energon for themselves and hinder the Decepticons, they also injured and killed many bots. The young woman just hoped that no one she knew was among the deceased.  
  
God, she hated war. It truly was the worst thing any civilization could ever engage in.  
  
Her willpower now used on primarily two things - keeping herself calm and making herself focus, she at first didn't notice when the unconscious bot she was currently operating on came to. But she heard it soon enough:

  
  
"What the- Eeagh! The human! Get it out of me!"

  
  
Oh, so he noticed her lower half sticking out of his chassis. Must be quite a sight.  
This wasn't the first bot to have a disgusted reaction to her rummaging through his internal systems. Luckily, Knockout and Breakdown were there to keep things in check.  
  
"Now listen here, bucket of bolts," she heard the crimson mech's scarily calm voice, "I wouldn't have bothered with you, but 'the human', decided to tie together the fuel lines in the area of your fuel tank. If you want to become a donor right on this operation table, I can _take her out and arrange that._ "  
  
The sound of Knockout's circular saw made the Vehicon instantly shut up and go motionless. Y/n couldn't help but smirk darkly, her nerves appreciating the medic's methods.  
"Don't be a sparkling," Breakdown grumbled and Y/n silently thanked the blue mech for also chiming in.  
  
A rogue fuel line spurted out some hot Energon on her arm and she hissed. Her being a cybertronian 'proxy', Energon didn't hurt her, but it still stung if it was too hot.  
"Tsk," she grimaced. From now on, she should keep long rubber gloves or something in the medbay, she thought as she took care of the last fuel line.  
Sure, when she had first done something like this, Knockout had to first show her, then give her directions, but now, 2 hours after the first patient was brought in, it was an almost automatic process for her. Her hands grew accustomed to the task, her nerves were kept in an iron grip by her until this was over.

  
She'd have to drink quite a bit of herbal tea or go ask for a wine bottle from Megatron later, she thought.

  
  
Climbing out of the Vehicon, she threw her patient a glance before gathering her improvised toolkit and raising to her feet.  
"The doc will close you up soon, wait a klik," she threw over her shoulder as she hurried to the edge of the operating table.  
  
"Okay, got it," she reported to Breakdown, who was standing closer to her.  
"Nice," the medic's assistant nodded and offered her his servo, which she hopped on instantly.  
"Done? Good," Knockout, said, his optics focused on the patient he was currently operating on, his voice all-business."Now, I need you to climb into his chassis here and extract the little pieces of rock and metal near his spark chamber."  
  
"Got it," Y/n nodded as she jumped off Breakdown's servo.  
"Do I need to make the hole bigger for you?" the red medic asked, his circular saw whirring to life and the Vehicon gave a strangled gasp. The young woman gave the wound on the bot's chassis a quick evaluating glance.  
"No, I can manage," she said and, losing no time, started climbing into the Vehicon's chassis head first.  
"Eeeew," the purple bot whined.  
" _Oh get over yourself!_ " Y/n snapped, quickly re-emerging and throwing the mech a glare, "I'm saving your spark here, you ungrateful slagger."  
  
Grumbling, she climbed back into the giant metal chest, only her legs staying on the outside of it. Somewhere above, Breakdown chuckled.  
"Aaand on the third cycle she starts talking like a true medic."  
Y/n couldn't help but chuckle too. Indeed, it felt like if she wouldn't let off at least some steam, the stress of it all would break her.

  
  
That turned out to be the last mech who had dire injuries, so Y/n's help wasn't needed for the next hour or so. She still stayed in the medbay, keeping her friends company and watching Knockout and Breakdown work. Aside from being curious, she just liked seeing them working together. She could certainly see now where all Knockout's confidence in himself came from, he really was good at what he did, but, more importantly, rarely did the red mech had to say an extra word - Breakdown was there, already knowing what he needed and providing it. It was really something to behold, the way those two were in sync was truly impressive.  
  
When the last patient was given a dismissive wave of Knockout's servo and left the medbay, only then did Y/n let out an exhausted sigh.  
"You did good," Breakdown smiled and she found it in herself to smile back.  
"Thanks."  
"You certainly were useful," Knockout mused, then sighed,"Back in the day, we had trained minicons for that kind of stuff, so the doctors wouldn't waste their time. Shame that most humans react so poorly to Energon, we could have abducted some and put them to work."  
"Hey," the young woman chuckled, "No alien abductions."  
"Well surely no, as I said, normal humans are useless," the red mech shrugged.  
"Heh," Y/n smirked, then gave both cybertronians a tired, yet impressed look, "You two are something else, really. Truth be told, I thought that you were bragging a bit about being that good."  
Both bots smirked smugly.

  
  
Soon, Y/n found herself in a familiar sink, her ruined clothes on the floor of the room and Energon rinsing off her arms and chest, taking with it the distinctive smell and the memories of the ripped open chassis and torn off robotic limbs. Mostly, at least.  
  
She could have taken a bath in the medbay's sink, but all her 'bath-goo' was here. Also, she had a feeling that she should give her friends some privacy, what with them mentioning that they ought to take a shower and all.  
The young woman sighed and then held her breath, diving underwater and swimming around a bit. With the size of the sink, it was more like a pool than a bathtub. A pool with warm water - well isn't that just a wonderful way to relax after helping some Vehicons not bleed out.

  
  
The image of major fuel lines pumping out Energon as a Vehicon was clutching the place where an arm should have been flashed before her eyes and Y/n squeezed her eyes shut and resurfaced with a deep inhale.

  
Okay, so maybe the incident left a larger impact on her. She wasn't squeamish by any means, even before all this madness in her life began, but seeing all those injuries still made her very much uneasy.  
The war Megatron was engaged in felt real like never before, and, as she floated on the water's surface, Y/n hoped that the alien lord wasn't hurt in the battle. He would have come to the medbay if he was, wouldn't he?

  
  
It was the middle of October and Y/n met with the Decepticon leader every other day or so for the past ten days. Megatron could come over in the morning or invite her over in the evening, or, on a couple occasions, even both. Their conversations could include anything, topics covering everything from 'how are Energon rock candies made' to discussions on cybertronian or human literature.  
With a sigh, the young woman realized that the alien warlord was the best conversation partner she had ever had in her life. And the way his deep voice would raise or lower a bit depending on his emotions, or sometimes become so smooth when he had that look in his optics-

  
  
Y/n groaned and let herself get submerged in water, letting air come out of her mouth and nose and watching the water above her ripple.

  
  
That crush was still going strong and Megatron warming up to her wasn't making it any better. Damn it.  
  
She wondered, would the warlord be amused or disgusted if he knew? He came to consider her - she hoped - a friend of sorts or a close acquaintance, maybe, so would it be funny or unnerving for him if he learned that she considered him to be very much attractive? Both in mind and frame, Y/n genuinely considered him to be worthy of praise and admiration.  
  
Then again, that wouldn't be something new for him, she was sure that with such a charismatic personality and impressive stature, the lord had many femmes and bots yearning for his attention.  
It was actually strange that there wasn't someone sharing a berth with him, the young woman thought as she went up for air and swept her wet hair out of the way.  
Was it because of the war? Was he unwilling to waste time on a relationship or be distracted by it? That seemed like something Megatron would do.  
Then again, what if he recently lost someone? He didn't mention anyone, but who would if it was a still bleeding wound on the spark? Should she ask Knockout or Steve about it?

  
  
The girl sighed yet again and climbed out of the sink, grabbing a towel and drying herself off.  
Anyway, she thought, best to just enjoy the cybertronian lord's company and not overthink it. Steve was right, she had a tendency to think too much.  
  
She then noticed that her phone had a new message.  
Received five minutes ago. From Megatron.

  
  
_/I need to see you as soon as possible, Y/n. Are you in your room?/_

  
Oh.  
She felt worry take over her heart. Did something happen? Was he wounded after all? Did she do something? What was it that Megatron wanted? It was a message, not a call, so it couldn't be that urgent, could it?  
Well, seems that not overthinking things wasn't a possibility.

  
  
Texting back a quick 'I'll be there in 5 minutes, Lord Megatron,' she quickly threw on her clothes and jumped off the sink counter, landing safely on her hands and feet, and immediately hurried off to her room.  
  


  
*******

 

  
  
When the door slid to the side, Y/n saw that the Decepticon lord was already in the room.

  
  
"Y/n," he said, his voice low, his eyes slightly narrowed as he started walking towards her.  
"Lord Megatron...I'm sorry, I was taking a bath," she quickly explained, walking towards the alien also, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"  
The questions fell from her lips without her thinking about it as she looked over the steel-colored mech.  
The lord knelt in front of her and offered her his servo. In a moment, she was there, looking into his optics. The warlord's expression was that of concern and contained anger.  
"I am unharmed," he said and his expression seemed to soften the more he looked at her,"But I am not the human who was covered in Energon. Are you feeling ill, Y/n?"  
"No," the girl sighed in relief, now knowing that the alien lord was uninjured, "No, I'm feeling okay."  
  
Megatron looked her over scrutinisingly, his crimson optics catching every detail.  
  
"I'm fine, really," the young woman assured, giving the mech a kind smile. He was _worried._ The realization made her smile even warmer.  
The warlord sighed in relief, closing his optics. He then opened them again, the anger in them making goosebumps run along Y/n's spine.  
"I will rip that stupid medic's helm off."  
"Wait, what? No, _no,_ " the young woman felt panic rise in her, "Please don't, he just helped so many mechs."  
"And made you work, covered in Energon," the mech growled.  
"He didn't, I volunteered! I was in the medbay when he received the message that wounded mechs were coming, so I wanted to help. Energon doesn't harm me, you know that," the girl explained softly, trying to calm the warlord down. His optics narrowed again, but his fury seemed to recede bit by bit.  
"You should be more careful, Y/n," he scolded her sternly, yet with some softness to the gruff tones of his voice, "You hadn't been exposed to this much Energon, you couldn't have known if it would be harmful."

  
True, Y/n did experiment with Energon, touching it and submerging her hand in it, but nothing as drastic as today. It wasn't the Energon that came from a cybertronian's body, either.

  
"I'm sorry for worrying you," she looked into his optics, genuinely feeling bad for concerning the mech,"But I'm alright. See?"  
Taking off her wool cardigan, now wearing only a sleeveless shirt, she showed the Decepticon leader her arms. That seemed to finally make the mech substantially calm down and he breathed out a tired sigh.  
"I'm sorry," Y/n said again, her voice soft,"You've already had a hard day, I'm sorry I made you worry."  
Red optics focused on her e/c eyes, the last traces of anger gone from them, leaving only tiredness and a kind of warmth that Y/n started noticing the more they spent time together. She returned the gaze with one of gentle fondness, a warm smile finding it's way to her lips again.  
"I am glad you're well," the Decepticon lord said, allowing himself to finally give her a hint of a smile.  
"I'm happy you're alright too," she responded, making him actually smile now.  
"Your concern is appreciated, Y/n," the steel-colored mech assured her as he rose to his pedes. Only now did she realize that all this time he was kneeling."I was planning on clearing my thoughts outside, would you like to accompany me?"

  
  
Outside...?

  
  
"Yes, yes of course," the young woman answered, nodding with a gentle smile and that seemed to finally put the alien lord in a reliable good mood.  
"Good," he nodded as he headed to the exit.  
  
"Oh, and Lord Megatron?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Please don't punish Knockout?"  
"Hmph."  
"Pleeease?"  
" _Fine._ "

  
  
*******

 

  
  
This was-

  
  
"Amazing," Y/n breathed out as she looked up into the sky, mesmerized. You really could just imagine reaching out and touching the stars, just like Steve said.  
"I assumed you would appreciate the view," Megatron softly chuckled as he held her to his chest, right near his Decepticon insignia and over his spark. The heat radiating from him was keeping her warm and the servo that wasn't holding her was protecting her from the wind as she sat there marveling.  
"I really do," she answered softly, still not able to tear her eyes off the constellations and the Milky way.  
  
There was silence for a while, and Y/n could feel the moment when the warlord's optics left her and focused on the sky. The silence was a comfortable, safe one and she found herself all-so-carefully pressing against the warm metal of Megatron's chassis. She was ready to pull away at the slightest expression of the lord's discontent, but when that huge servo closed around her a bit more, gently pressing her to him, she couldn't help but smile happily. Was that a blush on her cheeks? Good thing it was dark, then.  
  
They spent some time just like that, her cradled in his servos and gently pressed to his chassis. At one point, the young woman felt the mech's optics rest on her and looked back at him, a gentle smile on her face.  
"Is everything alright?" she asked softly as soon as she saw the cybertronian lord's expression. It was thoughtful and...sad? Was it sadness she saw or was it something else?  
"Yes, Y/n," Megatron nodded, his gaze calm yet still intense with some kind of underlying emotion.  
"Thank you for bringing me here," the girl said, genuinely thankful, both for the view and the company. The Decepticon leader nodded, his crimson optics glowing warmly in the darkness.  
"I could take you wherever you would ask me," he suddenly said, looking at her thoughtfully.  
"I'm pretty sure this is the best place on the Nemesis," Y/n smiled. Megatron chuckled lightly.  
"I meant on Earth, Y/n. That is, after I've let you visit your home."

  
  
The young woman felt her heart skip a beat.

  
  
  
*******

  
  
  
It was early morning of the following day when a small, human-sized portal - a Ground Bridge as the aliens called it - appeared in the back yard of Y/n's parents' house.  
"Thank you," the young woman whispers to the cybertronian lord and he nods. And then she steps through the glowing green-blue portal.  
  
The moment her shoes connect with the grass of her backyard a shiver goes up her spine. She tears up when she sees her dog wake up and start to run towards her. She weeps when she circles her arms around the huge canine's neck.  
  
Now that she was finally home, all the emotions she had locked up in her heart under lock and key came pouring out, resulting in her crying her eyes out as she laughed while her dog was licking the tears away and wagging its tail. The young woman continued to just run her fingers through her dog's fur, calming down and beginning to cry again, murmuring praises and things no one else would ever believe.

  
  
"Who's a good doggy? Who did I miss so, so much? You, yeah, you...Oh, dear, you wouldn't believe- There were mercenaries, and-, and aliens, and then-, and then one of them-, but Lord Megatron, and- And then yesterday - all the Energon on my hands, but it was okay then-  _Oh how I missed you..._ "

  
  
When the tears seemed to finally dry up, she heard a familiar voice coming from the house:  
"Who's there?"  
"Dad?" she gasped and looked at the stunned man who came out of the house, "Hey there."  
She smiled and felt tears roll down her cheeks. Well, there's for thinking she was done with the tears.  
Oh, and there's her mother coming up from behind her dad.  
  
Tears galore it was, then.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter:  
> -Time at home  
> -Megatron being generous  
> -Y/n being thankful  
> -More traveling through Ground Bridges, this time together with the Decepticon lord
> 
> See ya there!


	19. Where The Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n spends time at home. Megatron comes to a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LisTEn.  
> Mix Red Bull with fresh strawberries in a blender. It's so good. Mmm~
> 
> Also, 20th Chapter, guys! Thank you to all of you! Thank you for reading, leaving kudos and commenting! <3
> 
> This one's gonna be extra long, ~6000 words instead of the usual ~2500.  
> Ready? Let's go!

 

Never in her life would Y/n have ever thought that she'd be so ecstatic because of a family reunion. Okay, it wasn't a full reunion, but her parents and grandparents were there, and it was so nice to listen to them talk about everything that has transpired in the family for the past...holy hell, has it only been four months? Felt like a lifetime ago.  
  
Ironically, before she went dark, she had told her parents that she'd been recruited for an administrative job in a government agency that required the utmost secrecy. They understandably couldn't quite fully believe that, but now everyone in the room said at least once how something in Y/n's eyes had changed, how much more mature she seemed. Her mother asked if the job was dangerous, Y/n answered that 'of course not, how would ** _I_   **be useful at a dangerous job?'. Her dad told her that she looked much slimmer and healthier and encouraged her to keep that up. One of her grandma's chimed in that she should use that new figure of hers to find a good man and asked if there were military men where she worked. Sneaky grandma, knowing Y/n's appreciation of men in uniform. The second grandma continued insisting that Y/n should eat some more cake and asking if she should make her some of her favorite pie while the girl was visiting. Her grandpa stayed mostly silent, but the young woman knew how curious he was about her job. A highly intelligent, understanding man, she felt that if anyone could wrap his mind around what situation she was in, it would be him.

  
  
Sorry, grandpa, maybe someday.

  
  
There were, of course, many questions for her. When would she visit again? Soon, Y/n said, most probably soon as her new boss was a very nice man. Heh, 'man'. Oh, a nice man? How nice? Very nice, grandma. Was he married? Goddamn it, grandma. How safe was it there? Very, dad. So why the secrecy? Well if she told them, it wouldn't be confidential anymore, right, grandpa? So did her boss try to flirt with her? Grandma! She liked him, didn't she? Mooom, not you too! Is he a republican or a democrat? Eeh, he kinda likes to look at (human)politics from a distance, dad. How does he look? He's quite tall. How old is he? Can we just leave my boss out of this, please? So he's older, right? Y/n always liked somewhat older guys, right? **STAHP!**  
  
As the family laughed, making a point out of lovingly teasing Y/n, the young woman could barely contain the joy that filled her heart. This was so amazing, just sitting there, having lunch with her family. Her parents took the day off, so she now had the whole day to spend with them.  
  
She, as mentioned, had the chance to learn about how things were going in her hometown. Her grandma's friend became a great-grandma. Her mother met Y/n's classmate in a store about a month ago. Her uncle finally finished building that house that took a year to build. Her grandpa had a class reunion and they partied till 2 AM. Her second cousin came out as gay and left for Los Angeles. Her godmother got married for the 4th time.

  
  
Huh, apparently much happened in 'normal life' in the time she was gone.

  
  
The casual, mundane conversations lulled Y/n into a relaxed state, her mind finally grasping that she was really home, within familiar walls and surrounded by loved ones. As her grandmas engaged in a heated conversation about who is the best country singer, the young woman took out her phone and snapped a few photos - cups with tea or coffee standing on a cloth-covered table, her with her parents and, as the two calmed down, her with her grandmothers and grandfather.  
  
"Should your dad print that out so you can frame it somewhere in your office or your apartment?" her mother asked and Y/n chuckled. Ha, office. Haha.  
"Oh, nono! Don't print that out!" her grandma cried out, "I'm not dressed for a photo!"  
"Grangran, you always look beautiful," the young woman assured, making her grandmother chuckle bashfully and murmur that she'd still prefer a photo that she was ready for.  
"That reminds me," her father said, "Since breakfast and lunch were spent at home, why not go out somewhere fancy for dinner? Celebrate Y/n's visit?"  
"Oh you shouldn't-" the girl began, but was interrupted by loud exclamations of agreement, making her tear up a little. Faking a yawn and wiping away a 'sleepy' tear, she couldn't do anything but go along with the idea.  
  
When her grandmas and grandpa left, she just sat with her parents in the living room, watching TV and talking about stuff. She sent the photos she took just recently to Knockout, Breakdown, Steve, Soundwave and, with a fluttering heart, to Megatron. She also sent everyone a brief explanation of who was who and what was happening, thanked Soundwave for watching over her family and thanked Megatron for letting her visit them.

  
Almost immediately, she got responses:

  
_HandsomeRedDevil: So that's how you're gonna look in fifty Terran years or so!_  
_I-Break-Stuff: Damn it, Knockout, be nice :D Seems like you're having fun with your creators, Y/n!_  
_Mr.Steve:_ Heey _, that's some cool photos! I'll show the guys!_  
_C.O.Soundwave: /Seen at (time)./_  
_Megatron: You are very welcome, Y/n. I'm glad that you are enjoying your visit._

  
Y/n sighed, looking at the message from the warlord fondly, before replying 'I am, you have no idea how much!' and hitting Send.  
  
"Chatting with your friends? Ones from here or there?" her mother asked softly, not intending to pry but obviously curious.  
"There," the young woman smiled at her mom, "They're glad I'm happy."  
  
Her mother nodded. She was always the one with the keen eye, so as they talked some more, she, no doubt, noticed Y/n's smallest expressions, then asking her if she was really okay, if she needed to get something off her chest, if she was happy. Her father didn't miss a chance to remind her some of his usual life lessons and precious advice, but also agreed that she could always count on them. It took all she had just to not tear up again.  
Her father then asked about her work and her boss, but in a different manner than before, when the family just having fun, now he honestly, seriously wanted to know if she was surrounded by good people. And she was, she told him. She made a few friends, including her boss, who really was a _lifesaver_ and a very, very interesting conversation partner.  Her mother asked if they treated her well. They did, Y/n said. Sure, you couldn't get along with everyone, but she had good friends and her boss was an honorable and just man, so she felt good there.  
  
"Can't you really tell us at least something, dear?" her mom asked, "Not about work, but about your friends."  
"Yeah, it'd be nice to know who you're working and spending time with," her dad agreed.  
Y/n hummed thoughtfully, sliding down in the large chair and then repositioning herself so that her legs dangled off the soft armrest.  
  
"Well, the first friend I made was originally my, eh, supervisor. He showed me around, told me some stuff, but wasn't really allowed to tell me much. But we still had fun, even though he technically was just there to watch if I'd screw up," Y/n went silent for a moment and then sighed, adding a smile to put her parents at ease, "But everything turned out okay and soon enough I found myself on board."  
  
Hehe, _on board_.  
  
"I got to meet the guy's friends and, basically, they're this blend of fratboy-dorks, they're really fun when you get to know them. They sometimes visit me in my office in the morning," - ha, office, - "And sometimes visit me at home to play video games."  
  
"Oh, so you found other people at your work who like to play video games, that's nice," her mother commented. Although her mom didn't know the first thing about games, she was always an invested listener when Y/n passionately told her about the plot or the characters.  
"Let's hope they don't play at work, doubt her boss would approve," her father smirked and Y/n rolled her eyes, chuckling.  
  
" _Anyway,_ then there's our resident doctor and his assistant. One's a genius of a medic, the other is a virtuoso at assisting him. The doc is a self-absorbed diva and amazingly charming so he gets away with quite a lot and his assistant is this really big tough guy with a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. So, really, they complete each other perfectly and it's so fun to hang out with those guys. Yes. They're a couple. Yes, dad, they are gay," the girl turned to her dad, her face wearing an expression of a brick.  
"Or they're faking it so that you'd let them be all mushy mushy with you," her dad smirked.  
"Oh god, you're embarrassing," the girl facepalmed, chuckling, "No, dad, they're really _really_ in love, like 'relationship goals' stuff. So yeah. There's also our communication's specialist. He's a real quiet guy and when he does speak, it's usually citation of our boss' orders. Though he's actually a nice guy and I come visit him in the morning to play with his pet bird."

  
Well, technically calling Laserbeak a pet would be a huge understatement, but it was hard to explain a symbiotic relationship like that, and she couldn't say 'to play with his twin brother'...that just sounded weird. So, yeah, she settled for 'bird'.

  
"Aaw, is it like a little parrot or a canary?" her mom asked, curious.  
"Ermm, more like a raven, actually," Y/n chuckled at the face her mother made, but she just couldn't call Laserbeak a parrot, that would be going too far.  
"Should animals really be in a place that's considered 'hush-hush'?" her dad raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, he's kinda like family, and our comm.specialist is our boss' best friend, plus, like _scary good_ at what he does. So I don't think it's a problem," the young woman shrugged, looking out the window, watching their dog play in the leaves.

  
  
It was the 16th of October and Autumn has colored the leaves in yellows, oranges and reds, almost half of those leaves already decorating the ground.

  
  
"So...your boss?" her mother softly inquired, ever so gentle and well-mannered.  
"My boss," Y/n flashed her mother a smile and demonstratively stretched, yawning, like she wasn't going to say anything more. But then finally gave in:

"So, my boss. Truth be told, he's amazing. Like, when you meet him at first, you just stand there kinda in fear, kinda like 'Whoa', because he looks like a badass. Imagine a tall, stern-looking guy in gray with a super intimidating stare. That's the boss," Y/n chuckled. This was so silly, calling Megatron 'boss' and trying to describe him in human terms, "Personality-wise, he can be terrifying when he's mad, at least my friends tell stories about it sometimes and try their damnest not to anger him. Then again, I was kinda lucky until now and didn't make him all too mad, so I can't testify. After all, it's hard being the boss in a team full of such, eh, _individualities_. What I do know from experience is that he's really smart, an amazing conversation partner, has a sense of humor I can appreciate and is very...gentlemanly."

  
  
He really was, Y/n thought with a smile. 'He also has a lovely voice, mesmerizing optics and _that smile,_ " she also thought to herself.

  
  
"So, yeah, he's honestly my favorite person there," Y/n shrugged, putting an end to her monolog.  
  
"...So when's he coming to dinner?"  
"OH MY GOD, DAD!"  
"Huehuehue."

 

  
*******

 

  
  
Megatron was on the command bridge, sitting on his throne, looking at the clouds as the Nemesis flew to their next destination. Servos lay on the armrests, sharp digits only once in a while thoughtfully tapping on the throne's metal lightly. The background noise of mechs operating the warship wasn't bothering him, filtering out of his attention.

  
  
What he was focused on, was the fact that he let Y/n visit home.  
And the fact that she didn't just disappear, but on top of sending him a grateful message she also sent him images of her family.

  
  
Pulling up the mental image of the photos, he looked at the images again, his optics -and his optics alone - seeing them as if they were holograms right in front of him. She looked so happy, he thought. He knew her warm, kind smiles, he knew the look in her eye when she was amazed or glad. But here, she was just overfilled with joy. He wondered if this laughing face would soon be replaced by a sad, mournful one once it was time for the human girl to return to the Nemesis.  
His optics narrowed at the thought and he closed the images, deciding to get some work done.  
  
As the orbital cycle went by, he decided to give the young human some privacy. After all, he trusted that she wouldn't tell her family anything about cybertronian involvement on Earth, and everything else...it didn't concern him. Even if he did wonder on a couple of occasions if he should go ask Soundwave, who was still keeping tabs on the house, how things were going. He decided against, both not to wound his pride and not to intrude on Y/n's time with her creators and mentors.

  
  
Hours later, when the sun was beginning to set and Megatron was reading in his quarters, he got a call from Y/n.  
A call, not a text? Was she in danger? Or was she about to plead to stay longer?  
Immediately, he 'picked up' as humans called it(as he had nothing to pick up, the communication going through directly to his processor).  
  
"Y/n?" he asked, voice calm, for now.  
"Hi, Lord Megatron," he heard Y/n's familiar, gentle voice and was immediately relieved. She was fine."I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"  
"You know well that I'm usually in my quarters by now," he chuckled quietly. Indeed, she did know. It was the time they would usually meet.  
" 'Usually'," the girl said and he could feel the smile in her voice,"Well, if I'm not bothering you, then I wanted to ask if you could please give me maybe another 4 hours, 5 at most? My father wanted to take the family out to dinner. If that's not a problem, that is."  
There was some concern in her voice, but he knew that tone of hers. If he'd say that she had to return, she would understand. The human femme was very self-aware, understanding that she lived on a military vessel and Megatron was at war, so sometimes private affairs took second place. But her free time didn't give or take from the Decepticon cause, it only mattered in the sense that Megatron wouldn't get to see her longer. And that she would get to spend more time with the humans she loved so dearly.

  
"You may stay home for the rest of the week, Y/n," he said, trying to make his voice sound more gracious than hesitant.  
There was a pause on the other end of the connection.

  
"...Really?" she asked softly and the Decepticon leader couldn't help but find it a little endearing.  
"Yes. Soundwave will open the Ground Bridge for you where you'll request it by the end of the 21st of October."  
"I...Thank you," she whispered warmly and he felt his spark skip a beat, making his optics widen in surprise,"Thank you so much, Lord Megatron."  
"Let us hope you don't forget the Decepticons while you're on leave," he smirked, trying to get the conversation away from where Y/n could say something in that gentle tone of hers again.  
"Oh I would never forget all of you," the girl giggled, "Especially not you."  
"I would hope so," he hummed in satisfaction before catching himself. Now that he was talking without Y/n being directly in front of him, it was easier for him to notice how he acted....Was this going on for long?

"Oh, mom, mom!" he suddenly heard her call out and nervousness overtook him for some reason. Why was she calling her mother while she was still talking to him?"My boss is on the line, he said that I can stay home for six days."  
A soft, kind voice was heard in the distance:  
"Really? That's so nice of him! Please tell him 'hi' and 'thank you' for us! Honey! Did you hear..."

"You heard it," he heard Y/n's chipper voice again as she seemingly walked back into her room and closed the door,"Parents said 'hi' and 'thanks'."  
"They are...welcome?"  
  
This was so, so strange for the alien warlord. Not only the concept of 'parents', as the closest thing cybertronians had to that was Primus himself and cybertronians who would volunteer to be mentors and - even then - only the lucky ones were destined to have the latter ones.  No, not only that. What puzzled him also was the fact that Y/n purposefully and willingly - even if indirectly - introduced him to her family, to the ones she cherished most in her life. That kind of trust was something new to the cybertronian, or at least something long forgotten.

 

  
Also...

  
  
"Did you just say that I was your...'boss'?" Megatron inquired. This was so strange and ridiculous, but he somehow just couldn't get enough, it was too amusing and refreshing.  
"Um-yeeah, kinda," Y/n chuckled, "I couldn't quite say 'Lord' now, could I?"  
"It'd be interesting to see you try and explain the title to them," the mech also chuckled.  
"Oh it's simple, I just have friends in _high places_."  
"Was that...a pun regarding my height?"  
"Maaaybe."  
"I am disconnecting the call now."  
"Ahah, no, please!" Y/n laughed and it resonated as a fluttering feeling in his sparkchamber,"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

  
She took a deep breath, calming herself and continued, her voice soft and warm:  
"Thank you again for this. Should I text you while I'm here or is it-"  
"Make sure you do," he said before she even finished, surprising both him and - judging by the brief silence on the other end - her. Clearing his throat, he added, trying to explain himself for some reason:  
"I've grown accustomed to your company, truth be told. So I wouldn't mind receiving updates on your status."  
"Got it. Please text or call me, too, if you have the time," the gentle voice asked and he could just picture her in front of him, her e/c eyes looking at him with kindness.  
"I will," he promised.  
"Okay, well, I'll be seeing you in the app then," the girl said and he smirked.  
"Seeing? Are you still hoping I will yield and start sending you these 'selfies'?" Megatron raised an optic ridge in amusement.  
"Pleease~"  
"No, that will not work this time."  
"But it would be hilarious!" Y/n chuckled.  
"For someone who so persistently asks for selfies, you don't seem to be sending me many."  
"I sent you two today," the human femme protested, her voice amused, "But, Lord Megatron, are you implying you actually want me to send you selfies? Of me doing _stupid human stuff?_ "  
There was a bit of teasing and he both loved and hated it.  
He liked the fact that she was more relaxed with him now, more inclined to show different aspects of her personality, making him glad that he could get to know more and more of her. On the flip side, the more he got to know her, the more he couldn't help but open up himself, and the more he did that, the more his spark reacted to the human girl. This was beginning to be...problematic. Even so, he couldn't help but answer:  
"I have already told you, Y/n. Updates on your status. Don't make me repeat myself," he mock-threatened her and she knew the tone.  
"A thousand apologies, Lord," she chuckled,"Well, I'm not a huge fan of taking selfies, but I'll try."  
"Good," he nodded even though she couldn't see it."Have a pleasant evening with your family, Y/n."  
"Thank you, Lord Megatron, you have a nice evening too," she answered, voice soft and kind and making him want for her to be in his quarters, sitting on his desk instead of being somewhere far away.  
"Thank you," he sighed,"Megatron out."

  
  
...

  
  
'Megatron out?'  
Was he on a mission talking to a subordinate or something?  
A feeling of awkwardness washed over his spark like a container of hot water. Awkwardness was not something Megatron felt often.  
The again, why did he feel awkward?

  
  
Oh slag it, he wasn't a sparkling, he knew the telltale signs of which condition he was experiencing.

  
  
...This was bad.

  
Megatron frowned, narrowing his optics, looking ahead of himself but not seeing. The more he thought about it, the more it enraged him. There was so much wrong with this, the least of the concerns being that Y/n was human.  
  
Cybertronians were known to have interspecies relationships, especially in the Golden Age. The frame diversity - be it color, size, function or other attributes - among the cybertronian race made them predisposed to treating relationships where the partners could be very different in appearance as something not unusual. So it was not too surprising that there were cybertronians who managed to... _care_ for members of other species.

  
  
But he was **Megatron**. Leader of the Decepticons. Warlord. Rightful ruler of Cybertron. He was waging a war. He had an army to command. He...  
...He felt really tired all of a sudden. Not the tiredness that required recharge, but the tiredness one got in their spark.

  
  
How long was it since someone had looked at him with genuine warmth and kindness?

  
  
No. **No.**  
Y/n didn't actually know him. He obscured much in many parts of his history and flat out lied in others.  
But the Megatron she knew, aside from his actual past, was genuinely him, wasn't it? Sure, at first he was planning to trick her and use her newfound loyalty to strike at the Autobots, using her as a one-time unexpected card of sorts. But how quickly did he toss the idea? How quickly did he come to genuinely consider her someone he was actually looking forward to speaking with in the evenings or visiting in the mornings?  
More importantly, when did these reactions to her in his spark start?

  
  
This was so bad.

  
  
He was happy now, that he let her stay at home longer. In his current state, he wasn't sure if he was furious at her or not and what it would have lead to were she on board right now.  
  
...Then again, the poor little human did nothing wrong. She just was herself, it was not her fault that his spark reacted to her in a way that, if she knew of it, would probably shock and disgust her.  
After all, humans weren't known for engaging in interplanetary romance, as far as he knew.

  
  
The warlord groaned and covered his faceplate with his servo.

  
  
This... _infatuation_. It will pass soon. It had too. So it undoubtedly will.  
Might as well just try and not scare off his fragile new...friend.  
Yes, the concept that a human has become his friend was already perplexing enough, no need to add in any interest of _another kind_ into this.  
  
The realization of his situation was bringing him pain in an almost physical sense. His mind was working overtime like he had to devise the most difficult battle strategy in his life and his spark was betraying him with every beat, reminding him how good and at peace he felt when Y/n was near him.  
...Primus, let this pass soon.  
  
In all of his thoughts over the next few hours, however, not once had it crossed the warlord's mind that letting Y/n permanently off the ship was a viable option.  
He was Megatron. He possessed whatever he wanted.

Even if it currently was a particular human's company.

  
  
  
An incoming message from Y/n ripped him from his thoughts.  
He ignored it.  
He continued to ignore it until the early hours of the morning.

  
  
Finally, after trying and failing to fall into recharge for four consecutive hours, he opened the message, the text and image appearing before his optics.

  
  
_Y/n: Hey there! I hope it's not too late in the evening. Just wanted to thank you again. I had the most amazing time! And the food, it tasted so good! I think I cried a little every time I had a meal today._  
_Y/n: Anyway, wanted to send you a couple of photos. 'Status update' and all. Not selfies, normal human photos :D_  
_Y/n: The second one was taken by my mother, I figured it'll be funny for you to see how I look when I'm in a fancy human place._

  
  
Under that, there was a photo of Y/n and her family, all smiling and wearing formal garments.

  
  
Cybertronians used organic materials as accessories mostly, as a show of status or ceremonial pieces, and even that was mostly in the Golden Age. Megatron himself used cloth to dry his chassis after a shower to avoid turning on the irritatingly loud air-drying vent, though this 'towel', as Y/n called it, had certainly seen better days. But despite cybertronian limited usage of such things, Megatron already knew enough about humans to recognize that these clothes were 'evening' clothes. Y/n herself told him about human fashion once, when she explained why it would be a bit silly if she wore those dresses that the Vehicon brought her on her first day aboard every day without occasion.  
  
And now, seeing Y/n in a black dress that was probably considered modest as it technically covered everything from her knee to - almost - her clavicle, but actually tightly hugged her form, showing off the delicate lines of her body....Megatron blinked. What was he thinking again?  
  
Shoving whatever thought was trying to form aside, he looked at the next image.  
  
It showed Y/n at a large window, close enough that the photo cut off at her waist. Her arms were crossed, in one hand she gracefully held a stem glass with a tall, narrow bowl with some sparkling liquid inside. Her hair shined in the warm light of the room and her head was ever so slightly cocked to the side, her e/c colored eyes looked at the camera with a familiar kind expression and an also familiar gentle smile played on her lips.  
He could just imagine her right beside him, looking at him like that, like she did many times already. He suddenly regretted that he somehow wasn't there, enjoying the evening with her while she looked so very-

  
  
_There is nothing funny about the way look, Y/n. You are beautiful._  
_Good night_.

  
He sent the message before he thought it over and, for an astrosecond, panic shot through him, making feel almost nauseous. He immediately snuffed the feeling out. He was Megatron, he did not fall into panic.  
He did, however, consider transferring the app to his datapad so he couldn't send impulsive messages like that too easily.

  
  
_-New Message-_

  
His spark skipped a couple beats.

  
  
_Y/n: Thank you, I'm genuinely flattered :)_  
_Typing..._  
_Typing..._  
_Y/n: By the way, it's 5 AM, so don't you ever tell me I'm the one keeping you up, Lord Megatron :D Good morning to you too._

  
  
This girl...  
A soft, satisfied hum reverberated in his chassis and his spark suddenly felt a little warmer.

  
  
_Have I woken you up? And when did I ever say that?_

  
  
_Y/n: No, you didn't, I stayed up all night going through some of my old stuff in my room._  
_Y/n: Last week, Thursday I think. When you carried me back to the cabin._

  
  
_Impressive memory. Held a grudge over it?_  
_Found anything interesting?_

  
  
_Y/n: Felt a bit guilty, remembered because of that. And now it turns out I'm not at fault, after all. :D_  
_Y/n: Everything and nothing. Old photos, diaries, even some stories I wrote._

  
  
Megatron's optics widened.

  
_You wrote stories?_

  
  
_Y/n: I did :) The later stuff is pretty amusing, especially if I forgot what I wrote and could read it now not knowing what's next to come._

  
  
He knew Y/n was an avid reader. But this was a revelation close to his spark, especially because when he was still a miner, getting his servos on meager kilobytes of data that was outlawed for his caste, he-

  
_A long, long time ago, I used to write myself._  
_But it was scrap, as you can imagine._

  
  
_Y/n: Really? I don't believe for a second that it was bad. Please, would you tell me a bit more? Was it suspense, romance, adventure or story genres unique to cybertronians?_

  
  
_I actually was better at writing poetry._

  
  
Y/n didn't pry when he didn't say more. If only the human knew that the fact that he said what he already said made his spark beat like he just fought a swarm of Insecticons.  
This was not something he shared with anyone since the war began. Primus, ever longer than that!  
He was so dumbstruck that he even mentioned it to her, by this willful openness, that he soon excused himself, feigning the wish to recharge.

  
  
This was all strange. Strange and bad.

  
  
Why did it feel so good, then?...

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
At 16:46 of the next orbital cycle, he received a message from Y/n.

  
  
_Y/n: I'm eating sushi with my friend right now and I think I'm crying. It's such a shame you guys only eat Energon, I would have brought you some otherwise._

  
  
_I noticed you have urges to cry everytime you eat._

  
  
_Y/n: It's because in the first 2 weeks of my self-exile the perishable food was gone, so the only fresh ingredients I got was from the little garden near the cabin._  
_Y/n: Canned food for 4 months, Lord Megatron!_

  
_You could have told me, I would have arranged for a supply run._

  
  
_Y/n: I didn't even think of bothering you for something like that, honestly._

  
  
He sighed. She wouldn't, he thought now that he knew her.

  
  
_Y/n: Besides, don't you think the Vehicons busted enough shops for my sake? If anyone knew, I'd be a wanted criminal :D_

  
  
Megatron smirked, rolling his optics.

  
  
_You would be a wanted witness every government and journalist agency would fight over in gladiatorial combat._

  
  
_Y/n: I'd watch that. Hey, can you kidnap a few humans and put them in a big bowl or something?_  
_Y/n:...That was a joke :D_

  
_I understood that much._

  
  
_Y/n: By the way, what's your favorite color?_

 

  
  
Huh?

  
  
_I do not have one._

  
  
_Y/n: :(_

  
  
_The frowning 'emoticon' does not make me feel any emotion._

  
  
_Y/n:...._

  
_-New Image Received-_

  
  
Curious, the Decepticon leader opened the file. A photo of Y/n frowning, holding two sticks in her hand with a piece of something squeezed between the ends of the sticks. Google helpfully recognized the 'something' as a Philadelphia roll.

  
This was so stupid.  
Why did he have to use so much willpower to keep a grin from appearing on his faceplate?

  
  
_Black. Or gray. Or gold._

  
  
_Y/n: Thanks! :)_

  
  
_Why did you need to know that?_

  
  
_Y/n: General knowledge. My favorite colors are f/c and f/c2. F/c3 too. Now we're even._

  
  
He shook his head, a light chuckle managing to escape his chassis. This girl.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
On the 18th of October, he texts her himself. He does so after spending 10 minutes deciding if he should start normally or be witty. He goes for the second option:

  
  
  
_Status update?_

  
  
Not two minutes later, he gets a response.

  
  
_Y/n: Status update: Sitting with friends in a bar, celebrating my friends belated Birthday. Played bowling before that, I got first place. A fine victory in your name, Lord Megatron! :D_

  
_I am pleased, indeed._

_So how much did you drink already?_

  
  
_Y/n: Two cocktails. I remember telling you that I normally drink in moderation when with friends and not at home._

  
  
_I do remember that. You indeed did. Before proceeding to drink two bottles of wine._

  
  
_Y/n: One - I guess it takes more to get me drunk now, that was the first time I drank alcohol since being 'upgraded'._  
_Y/n: Two - That was with you. That's a different situation entirely :)_

  
  
_You flatter me._

  
Careful, almost put a smiley there. Almost.

  
  
_I will send a Vehicon to bring you home after you're done._

  
  
_Y/n: Oh, no, no, don't! Thank you, it's very kind of you, but I'll be sharing a cab with a friend, she'll be staying over tonight._

  
  
_Then notify me when you're home._

  
  
_Y/n: I will :)_

_Pleasant celebrations._

 

  
*******

 

  
  
On the 19th, she texts him and sends a photo of her on the beach, the Autumn wind playing with her h/c hair and her f/c scarf. He almost agrees to send her a picture too.

  
  
On the 20th, he sends her a picture of his servo holding a cube of hot Energon with scattered datapads on the background. She finds it amusing enough to call him, tell him that at least that's progress and wish him good luck with the work. The datapads seem a bit more tolerable after that.

  
  
On the evening of the 21st, Megatron is on the edge of his chair, tapping his digits on the armrest, a frown on his faceplate.  
She said she'll be here soon. What was keeping her? He knew he should have gone to meet her on the Nemesis' side of the Groundbridge, but no, she just had to ask him not to do that for some reason. And he had to agree for some reason.  
  
He could feel how impatience was boiling withing him, gradually turning to annoyance. A ping on his comm notifies him of a new message. which he immediately opens.

  
  
  
_Y/n: Let me in? I can't reach the stupid doorbell button ':D_

 

  
  
He was on his pedes immediately, walking up to the door, half-determined to scold the girl for taking so long.  
As the door slid open and he laid his eyes on the human femme, his optics widened. Y/n looked...stunning. She wore a long, gold flowing dress and the biggest, brightest smile that made his spark skip a beat and then drown in warmth. Did she know? About him?  
Wordlessly, he slowly fell to his knee, looking at the small, fragile, beautiful creature with endearment as he offered her his servo. As she, gracefully holding the skirt of her dress, carefully stepped into his metal palm, he just couldn't get his optics off her. He already missed her this week, he was looking forward to seeing her, but this-

  
"Y/n," he all but purred out in satisfaction, his voice rumbling in his chassis, "It is good to see you again."  
Her e/c eyes widened and her cheeks became a bit rosier at the sound of his voice. Did he...make her uncomfortable? Her smile returning, warmer than before, was a sign that, most probably, he didn't. Good.  
"It's good to see you too, Lord Megatron," she said and the ability to hear her voice while she was _right there_ made a pleasurable wave run over his spark, making him smile as he rose to his pedes and walked back to the desk. He really, really didn't want to let her out of his servo and onto the desk. But he did so anyway.  
"Do we have a special occasion?" he asked as he looked her over for the n-th time.  
"Is a reunion a bad occasion? Or do you not like the dress, Lord Megatron?" Y/n asked, smiling and twirling once. He chuckled softly, his optics half-lidded in delight.  
"You look beautiful, dear Y/n."

  
  
Wait, what? Where did _that_ word before her name come from?

  
  
Luckily, the girl didn't let an awkward silence set in, also beginning to chuckle. Either she didn't notice the word, didn't pay attention to it or decided that it was said by someone much older than her in a patronizing way - whatever it was, Megatron was thankful that she didn't accentuate her attention on it. He wasn't sure what he was gonna say if she would have.  
  
"Well, thank you very much," she said, her cheeks slightly rosy again, her eyes sparkling. He liked that expression on her very much, he thought.  
"And a reunion is a fitting occasion indeed," Megatron continued, glad to have stepped over the issue he himself created. Calming himself, he offered:  
"Since this is indeed an occasion, would you share a celebratory drink with me?"  
"With pleasure, my lord," the girl curtsied and giggled softly. He gave an amused chuckle. The fact that she, even if it was in jest, called him 'my lord' for the very first time ever didn't escape his attention. The words sounded like they meant something a bit different than what bots usually meant when they uttered them.

  
  
He decided to let it go. It was said jokingly, after all.

 

  
At 00:02 they suddenly heard a sound. Someone was at the door. The Decepticon leader was just about ready to rip someone's head off, the only thing stopping him was that the lady visiting him would be witness to that. But, as the door opened, there was no one there. Looking down out of force of habit, he discovered a box there. It was about 3 by 4 meters in size, black with a golden...ribbon? Ribbons were a human thing. Immediately, he turned to look at Y/n. She just stood there on his desk, her hands clasped behind her back and a huge grin on her face.

  
  
"Happy Birthday! I guess I get to give you your first present!"

  
  
_She knew._

 

  
He looked at the box, then back to her. Back at the box. Taking the gift into his servos, he walked back to the desk, the look on his face apparently hilarious because Y/n was doing her damnest not to laugh.  
"How did you...?" he asked, his question falling silent.  
"Last week bots all over the ship were murmuring that it's the day when you leave the Nemesis for a whole day, purposefully letting them do what they will. Aren't you just the best boss ever?" the young woman smiled, the playfulness of her tone making his spark give a particularly strong pulse.  
"I..."

  
  
Well, he did leave the warship, yes, if only to escape the inevitable attempts at unnecessary flattery and subservience at every corner and just spend the day somewhere calm. But Y/n's view of it worked too.

  
He looked at the box.  
"Thank you," he whispered.  
"Lord Megatron, you haven't even opened it yet," the human femme chuckled softly.  
"I guess I did not," he answered, his senses slowly coming back to him. He would never have expected a gift - _any_ gift - from Y/n. But there it was, standing on his desk.  
Carefully, he raised his servo, his sharp, steel-colored digits touching the ribbon. He tugged on it and it went undone easily. The box seemed like it could be opened by just lifting the top of it and that was precisely what he did. A gentle blue glow was what the Decepticon leader saw. Several pieces of re-hardened high-grade Energon, about 50 centimeters in diameter each. Energon rock candy. A flat, see-through plastic container held about 15 pieces of them.  
But there was something else. Taking out the container, the mech gingerly touched some sort of soft black material which took up the majority of the box, careful not to damage it with his sharp digits.

  
"You won't ruin it that easily, it's durable enough," he heard Y/n's gentle voice to his left. As he took the thing out, letting it unfold to a 4 by 6 meter cloth, he realized what it was.  
"I noticed that yours was, um, _vintage,_ " Y/n spoke up again and he could hear the nervous undertones creeping into her voice, "So I asked around if you had such things lying around. When I learned that cloth was something of a rarity here, I decided that I'd give you this. It's a microfiber drying cloth, the best we humans could invent for drying off vehicles streak-free. There's two in total. It's not a flashy gift, but it will serve you well, Lord Megatron."

  
Slowly, he turned his eyes to the human. There was a small smile on her lips, but it was obvious that she was nervous whether he liked the gift or not.  
As he slowly placed the drying cloth on the desk, the human patiently awaited his response. As he extended his servo, his digit carefully, ever so carefully touching and running through h/c locks, she held her breath and her eyes widened. But she didn't even try to shy away.

  
  
"You beautiful, kind girl," he said softly, letting her hear the warmth and appreciation in his voice.  
A sigh of relief escaped her and the young woman gave him a fond smile adorned by the blush on her cheeks - probably the best gift she could ever give him.  
"I take it you like it?"  
"I do," he nodded, almost losing himself in how strange and wonderful her hair felt,"It is truly a thoughtful present. Thank you, Y/n."  
He smiles and it is almost gentle. Or has it crossed that line already?  
"You're very welcome, Lord Megatron," she carefully places her small hand on his digit and it's like an electric shock runs through him, his digit stills, "Happy Birthday, again."  
"Yes. Thank you..." he murmurs, looking at her hand. A delicate, thin wrist. Long, thin fingers. Such a delicate thing, like the whole of Y/n.

  
Delicate. Fragile. Beautiful.

  
She takes her hand away and it's all too soon, but he decides that it would be a good cue to take his servo off her too.  
And though he does just that, the atmosphere in the room doesn't change much, a feeling of something amazing, scary, beautiful and terrifying in the air, making him feel somewhat heady.  
  
"Tomorrow," he starts and Y/n blinks like she, too, was in the same trance just now,"Would you accompany me in my travels tomorrow instead of staying on the Nemesis and celebrating?"  
Her happy smile lights his spark up.  
"There's nothing I'd rather do."  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a rollercoaster of awkward texting sessions and sudden sugary fluff! I think I went overboard on the messaging, but it was just so fun :D Anyway, back to traditional means of communication, as in, looking right at the giant alien while speaking to him.  
> Also, Megatron tried to reason with himself and not fall in love, but apparently fell into it head first. Whoops.
> 
> In the next Chapter, we'll be traveling with the lord. All Chapter long. Where will we go?  
> Hint: It'll be hot and then cold, and then windy and then fluffy ;)


	20. A Special Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n and Megatron travel to different parts of the world together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS.
> 
> 1055 hits, 93 kudos, more than 40 comments!  
> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
> 
> Genuinely, I'm really thankful to all of you for reading, leaving kudos and commenting. It's always my greatest hope that those who decided to spend their time reading something that came from my head do not regret doing so :') So yeah, thank you and I hope you'll like the next chapter and what comes after that too. I have so, so much planned, we're not nearly done :D
> 
> Now then, let's get on with it! Warning: Just pure fluff for the sake of fluff.

 

"So we're laying there in my bed, right?"  
"Uh-huh..."  
"And he's hugging me from behind."  
"Mhm."  
"And then he says 'Could you move a bit' in a husky voice."  
"Ahaa...?"  
"And then I, for some reason, think that he meant 'move away', like 'give me space', and I move...and I fall off the bed."

  
  
"Oh my god," Y/n laughs, shaking her head and facepalming while her other two friends laugh to tears, one disappearing under the table, the other hiding her face in her hands, her ears red.  
  
The fourth friend, the one who was telling the story is a good sport about the experience, laughing and blushing, trying to add something more to the story as the girls finally manage to get their laughter under control.  
  
"And he was so nice, he like instantly sat up and asked if I was okay, but I couldn't really answer him because I was laughing too much," the girl said and everyone had a fit of laughter again.  
  
"Oh that's just gold," Y/n said, taking a deep calming breath.  
"So did you _do it_ in the end?" one of the other girls asked.  
"As straightforward as always," Y/n chuckled, looking at her friend with embers of laughter still dancing in her e/c eyes.  
"Well we need to know, don't we?" the curious one said and all eyes were on the storyteller again.  
"No, I honestly tried to get into the mood again, but we started laughing every single time and then I snorted and that was the end of that."  
As the girls chuckled and laughed, Y/n looked over her friends' smiling faces.

  
  
It was the 18th of October and she was in a bar with her friends, celebrating her good friend's Birthday.

  
  
Her friends were such beautiful, wonderful people, she thought. And those weren't the two Mohitos talking. All that she went through, it gave her a deeper appreciation for the things and people in her life, and the opportunity to see her family and friends...she didn't know how she could repay Megatron for that.  
  
"Hihi, but laughter in bed can be sexy too," the third friend pointed out and, immediately, Y/n's thoughts went to the cybertronian warlord's deep, slightly gravelly laugh.  
  
Like magic, her phone beeped. There was only one contact whose messages weren't muted at the moment. The contact whose name was shortened to 'M' in her contact list while she was among humans constantly.

 

  
_M: Status update?_

  
  
  
A huge grin appeared on her face. She was 95% sure that was meant as a joke.

  
  
  
_Status update: Sitting with friends in a bar, celebrating my friends belated Birthday._

_Played bowling before that, I got first place. A fine victory in your name, Lord Megatron! :D_

  
  
  
The telltale quiet among her friends and the feeling of being watched alerted Y/n to the fact that they noticed her texting.  
"If your looks get any more intense I'm afraid they'll bore holes through me," the young woman glanced up from her phone and smirked.  
Her closest friend - the straightforward one - among the bunch gave her a Cheshire-like smile.  
"So who are you texting, smiling like that?"  
"Boss," Y/n said as nonchalantly as possible before looking back to the screen.

  
  
_M: I am pleased, indeed._  
  
_M: So how much did you drink already?_  
  
  
"Oooo, an affair at the workplace?"  
"Is he married?"  
"Nah, you know Y/n would never!...Right, Y/n?"  
"There are no affairs at my workplace," the young woman chuckled.

  
  
_Two cocktails. I remember telling you that I normally drink in moderation when with friends and not at home._

  
  
  
_M: I do remember that. You indeed did. Before proceeding to drink two bottles of wine._

  
  
Okay, that was funny. Chuckling, she started texting back, throwing a quick 'Sorry, girls, just a sec' to her friends.  
"Oh no no, we'll wait. Your boss seems like a witty guy, you laughing and all," her other friend commented, wiggling her eyebrows.  
"Yep, he's got a good sense of humor."  
"What _else_ he got that's good, hmmm?"  
Y/n sighed.

  
  
_One - I guess it takes more to get me drunk now, that was the first time I drank alcohol since being 'upgraded'._  
_Two - That was with you. That's a different situation entirely :)_

  
  
_M: You flatter me._  
_M: I will send a Vehicon to bring you home after you're done._

  
  
Aw, well that was just sweet of the Decepticon lord. She almost regretted not being able to drive back home, chatting with Steve. But arrangements were already made, so, sadly...:

  
  
_Oh, no, no, don't! Thank you, it's very kind of you, but I'll be sharing a cab with a friend, she'll be staying over tonight._

  
  
  
_M: Then notify me when you arrive home._

  
  
_I will :)_

  
  
_M: Pleasant celebrations._  
  
  
Smiling warmly at the realization that Megatron wasn't indifferent to where she was at nighttime, the girl put away her phone only to come face to face with her grinning friends.  
"So is he handsome?"  
"Were you on a date already?"  
"Did you _do it_ already?"

  
  
Oh slag, not this...

  
  
  
The evening went by wonderfully. Y/n noticed something peculiar, though.  
In the midst of their celebrations, she decided to use her ability to go mentally invisible 'just because', just to see if it still worked or not.  
It did. And better than ever.  
She was able to literally sit back down on her spot, right in front of her friends, flash her friend the bird and the girls still continued talking like nothing happened. She then got up and went up to a couple, walking between them about four times without them batting an eye. Next was the bartender. She went behind the bar and took a bottle of Martini right in front of the guy. Nothing. Putting the bottle down, she braved the staff room, where she looked at some security footage while the security guy was watching Family Guy in the opposite corner of the room. Huh. The cameras saw her. But people didn't. Interesting. Better speak to somebody on the Nemesis about that.  
Leaving the staff-only part of the bar, she returned to her friends, 'turning off' the ability.  
  
"So there you are! Done texting with 'da boss'?"  
"So are you casually dating or super-serious-dating?"  
"Or are you, like, on the verge of dating?"

  
  
Oh Primus, not this _again_.  


 

  
*******

 

  
  
Chuckling at the memories she got from her visit home, Y/n sipped her morning cup of coffee. Usually, she would do so while still in her pajamas and Batman-themed robe. Today, however, was no ordinary day.

  
  
Today was Megatron's Birthday. And he invited her to travel with him.

  
  
Where to? Well, he mentioned that they will be visiting a couple of places, so he recommended she dress in something comfortable for outdoors and for places prone to changing temperatures. Where could that be?  
Anyway, she just spent at least an hour getting ready, in typical girl fashion trying to look good while being dressed appropriately. After all, this was Megatron - she wanted to look pretty for him.

  
  
_She wanted to look pretty for him._

  
  
Y/n facepalmed, then sighed and drank some more of her coffee.  
Seriously, what in the hell was going on? Megatron was, excluding their first couple of meetings, always courteous with her. And lately she had even noticed that the lord may have warmed up to her in earnest, but yesterday...  
  
The memory of his steel-colored sharp digit touching her hair made a shiver run up her spine, causing her back to straighten and her shoulders to make a little readjusting movement.  
She put the cup down onto its plate slowly, her e/c eyes looking straight ahead, but not seeing.  


Megatron was so many times her age, he's seen and experienced so much, he was so much larger and more powerful than any human, Y/n was just so sure that all this time his apparent growing affection was of a patronizing kind. He saved her, he let her live in his home, he kept her safe, he found a sort of confidant in her. But this....

  
Was what occurred in the middle of their celebration...was that a show of much deeper affection?

  
He did say she was beautiful.  
Then again, her dad's friends did too and they sure as hell didn't mean it in a romantical sense, they meant it in an 'aaw, look, that little brat grew up' sense.  
So maybe, just maybe, Megatron meant that objectively. Like 'this human is objectively beautiful'.  
Then again, even putting aside the fact that she didn't consider herself anything special in the department of beauty, this was _Megatron_. He didn't express any interest in humans other than her as far as she knew.  
  
The gears in her head turned slowly and she could almost hear the grinding sound.  
The problem was that the young woman was purposefully seeking out reasons and evidence that Megatron's recent behavior wasn't romantical in nature.  
If there was even a smidge of a chance that she was wrong and she let herself believe it anyway, and then it did turn out she was wrong...Well, Megatron just ignoring her would be the least traumatizing result.

  
  
But what if this really was...courtship?

  
  
She already knew cybertronians had interplanetary relationships on more than one occasion, so it wasn't _that_ unbelievable.  
But this wasn't just some cybertronian. This was Megatron.  
  
Rolling her eyes and sighing, the young woman stood up and went out to the porch, sitting herself down on the rocking chair and taking out her phone to check the internet for stuff absentmindedly.  
  
This was stupid. The childish 'what if's and 'what not's, that is.  
Even if Megatron was showing her any kind of romantic affection, would she be against it? No, a hundred times no. She wouldn't know how to move on with a relationship where one partner is the size of a house, but they managed to spend time together just fine until now, so that sounded like a plan already.

  
  
And what if Megatron was using her as a brief romantic interest, a way to make the war more tolerable while on Earth?  
A cynical thought, but deep down she was a somewhat cynical person.  
Honestly, she was okay with that too. Either Megatron will one day leave Earth or it could be shortlived because of mundane, usual reasons why a relationship wouldn't work out, the possibility of the relationship being brief was always there.  
In any case, was that a reason to pass up a chance at a relationship with the amazing mech that was Megatron? Hell no.  
  
The alien lord was someone who she respected immensely and someone she felt so very at peace with. She wasn't naive and saw that there was something dark in him, a rage, a fury that sometimes shined in his red optics like a destructive flame. But Megatron himself didn't deny that, once telling her that he couldn't allow himself to have a weak grip on his army in times of war. And war, he confessed to her, war brought out the worst in him. He hoped she could understand. She did, so she tried to soothe the warlord when she could, worrying that he not overwork himself. After all, Megatron may be demanding of his subordinates, but the one he was most demanding of was himself. But, despite everything, he was always careful and courteous with her and the warmer his optics looked at her, the more it made her heart flutter.  
The opportunity to just be near the steel-colored mech more, be there for him in his moments of both tiredness and uplift, to be able to spend more nights looking at the stars while cradled to his warm chassis and then wake up and see his peaceful slumbering face - it would be all she needed, the girl thought.

  
A thought occurred to her.  
Knockout didn't mention any crazy mindsex cybertronians were capable of. Well, yes, sparkmating, but Y/n didn't have a spark. Spikes and valves? Well, her size made that possibility throw itself out of the window.  
So, in a sense, it would be a relationship without much intimate physical contact, which was a 100% fine with Y/n.  
  
...Though, thinking of those crimson optics and deep voice, a treacherous thought appeared in Y/n's head that one could always find a way-  
  
**BEEP!**  
  
"Wha-ah!" the girl nearly dropped her phone, playing an awkward game of hot potato with it for a couple of seconds when it received a new message.

  
  
_M: I will be there shortly._

  
  
Typing out and sending a reply, Y/n took a deep breath.  
Okay, she really needed to tone it down on overthinking things.  
  
Let's maybe not think about ways to have sexual intercourse with a giant metal alien who she has to spend the whole day with and who may just be a little curious.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
When the door to her room slid open and Megatron walked in, Y/n was just casually standing there, checking her texts.  
  
"Ah, Y/n," the warlord, seemingly in a very good mood if his pleased voice was any indication, walked over to her little house, kneeling and extending a servo.  
"Good morning, Lord Megatron," she smiled warmly and hopped onto his metal palm, the swarm of thoughts that plagued her for almost two hours gone like it was never there, "Happy Birthday, again."  
The mech nodded, standing up.  
"Thank you. It is a fine morning indeed. Let us go?"  
"Gladly," the girl sat down. Megatron always held her very securely, his servo steady like nobot else's, and she could have easily stayed on her feet, especially considering her improved sense of balance. But she didn't want to, she liked just sitting in the huge metal hand, especially lately, since it reminded her of a particular stargazing session.

  
  
Oh dear, she was really in love, wasn't she? Yes. The answer was yes, she was.

  
  
As the Decepticon leader walked out of her room, the young woman turned just so that she was half-facing him and asked:  
"So how is that 'avoiding unwanted attention' thing going so far for you?"  
"Better than expected, actually," the lord mused, "Soundwave came by to congratulate me, but his company is a welcomed one. Your two apparent best friends awaited me at my door, but were brief with their congratulations and offerings. Starscream never misses a chance to feign undying loyalty and admiration, but we both know that old song and dance, so I preferred to just pass the mech in the hallway while he was monologuing. I did also run into one or two Vehicons, but they were brief with their flattery."  
"See, it's not so bad," Y/n smiled, deciding to leave out the fact that it was her who told Knockout, Breakdown and Steve that it'd be wise to tone down their congratulation methods, "Maybe you want to stay on the ship, after all?"  
"Negative," the warlord smirked, "Besides, wasn't it you who said how much of a good 'boss' I was for leaving and letting everyone celebrate?"  
The girl chuckled.  
"So where are we going?"  
"Patience, Y/n, you will know soon," the warlord promised as they entered the Groundbridge control room. Soundwave was already there, turning around as they approached him.  
  
"Commander Soundwave," the young woman offered the Communications Officer a nod and a smile, "Good morning."  
The dark mech nodded in greeting and looked at Megatron.  
"Do you have the coordinates set?" the steel-colored lord asked and Soundwave nodded again, "Excellent. Open the Groundbridge."  
The smaller mech immediately turned to look to the side.  
About 10 meters in front of them a huge, bright bluish green vortex opened as if by magic. Y/n was mesmerized by it, before she only saw the scaled-down version that Soundwave always opened for her. Megatron beginning to move was what brought her out of her trance. As they stepped into the vortex, the young woman raised a hand to her head to keep her h/c locks from getting in her face and looked around in amazement, watching the energy streams cross and swirl and do things her mind couldn't quite comprehend.

  
  
She heard a soft chuckle and looked back at Megatron. He just shook his head.  
  
"No, nothing," the mech said, the corners of his thin metal lips slightly quirked upward, his face holding an expression of amusement.  
"Haha, a human is fascinated by your usual means of travel," the girl chuckled and raised and eyebrow sarcastically, causing the mech to smirk in earnest.  
The lighting suddenly changed and the sound of Megatron's metal foot made a sound like it hit something that was not the Nemesis' cold hard floor.  
  
Tearing her gaze away from Megatron's face, Y/n looked around and her breath got stuck somewhere in her chest.  
The highpoint that Megatron's servo provided let her observe yellow sand and yellowish green tall grass as far as the eye could see, with trees called Umbrella Thorns peppered across the landscape.  
If her knowledge of geography wasn't failing her, then she was in the African savannah.  
  
  
"A leopard!" Y/n gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as excitement was making her almost squeal. Trying her damnest not to freak out, she pointed to the tree that was about 250 meters away, where the majestic cat was resting on a branch, whispering, "Look, look, Lord Megatron! It's a real wild leopard!"  
As she looked to the mech excitedly, she saw that the warlord was looking at her what could only be described as with endearment. She felt her cheeks start to warm up. Chuckling, she playfully chided:  
"Leopard. Very beautiful. On that tree right there."  
The cybertronian raised an optic ridge and smirked, but obeyed and finally looked around properly before settling his gaze on the big cat. As he did that, the young woman took off her aviator jacket, staying in a shirt. It was early morning on the Nemesis when they left, but already past noon here and the sun warmed her exposed skin quite a bit.  
  
"So you wanted to go on a safari trip?" she inquired as she watched Megatron's face while he looked around and no doubt caught the smallest details with his optics. She had enhanced vision now, but she doubted anything could come close to how well cybertronians could see.  
"That was one of the destinations, yes," the lord nodded, then pointed right,"Look."  
Immediately, her head snapped in that direction and her gaze focused on what Megatron was showing her.  
"Giraffes!" Y/n clasped her hands together, the tips of her fingers touching her chin while a huge grin was plastered on her face, "Did you know that the Giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world? In fact, even new-born babies are taller than most humans- Oh, of course you know, you have the whole internet in your head."  
"I have _access_ to the internet, I do not actually store all the information from it in my processor, that would be a colossal waste of space," Megatron softly corrected her,"So no, I did not know that. But I will be sure to look up whatever we come across from now on."  
Enormously happy that she could teach the cybertronian something new, Y/n nodded, looking back at the mech, not failing to notice how nicely the sunlight reflected off his armor.  
"Please be sure to tell me what you read, too," she asked.  
"I am sure you already know most of what I'll read," the cybertronian lord pointed out,"Wouldn't you rather enjoy the scenery than listen to my gruff voice all the time?"  
"Lord Megatron," the young woman looked into those crimson optics, stilling her excitement for a moment to make the seriousness of her tone explicitly clear, "I will have you know that I consider your voice exceptionally pleasing to the ear."  
The look of surprise on the steel-colored mech's face made both her smile and the excitement in her eyes return and she continued much more lightheartedly:  
"I really do. So, if it's not a bother, would you please tell me all about what we're going to see?"  
Whether to generously give the mech time to recover or in an attempt to not succumb to embarrassment (that she was able to successfully keep at bay presently), Y/n gave the lord an innocent wink and turned her head, facing away and looking around for other wildlife.  
She could feel his optics on her.  
"Very well," he answered a few seconds later, the warmth of his tone making shivers run from between her shoulder blades - up her neck and down her arms and back, "With pleasure, Y/n."  
She gave him a pleased hum as a response before a thought struck her.  
"Lord Megatron, I have a question."  
"Do ask."  
"I imagine Commander Soundwave is messing with human satellites again so we won't get noticed, but what about just normal people, on a safari trip or something?"  
"Do not worry, Y/n, I readjusted my sensors so I'd spot any human before they even got a chance to notice us."  
"You really do think of everything, don't you?" the young woman smiled, her gaze momentarily falling to his sharp digits before returning to the savannah wilderness.  
The mech chuckled, his deep voice like honey on Y/n's soul. Luxurious, dark hone- No! Think of something, anything else!  
"Oh look, a herd of zebras!"

  
...

  
"A heard of zebras, Lord Megatron...?"  
"Ah, yes. Of course...Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have never been truly domesticated...Would you like some interesting trivia?"  
"Yes, please."  
"Very well."  


  
*******

 

  
They spent about 4 hours in Africa, thanks to Megatron's alt.mode traveling to different parts of the country, looking at local nature. At some point at the beginning of their journey the mech casually offered her to sit on his shoulder as it 'provided a better vantage point'. It did, Y/n thought as her heart beat so strongly that she could hear it in her ears, it did provide a very good vantage point. To better look at Megatron's face.  
  
The young woman couldn't help but find it endearing how the alien warlord seemed to really get into animal-watching and spent almost 30 minutes just observing a pride of lions. Y/n also couldn't suppress her giggles when the Decepticon leader came face to 'face' with a baobab, and the 11-meter mech thoughtfully placed his servo onto the smooth and shiny copper-colored trunk of the 25-meter tree.  
She then laughed when they landed in the Sahara desert and Megatron shook his large foot, stating that this much sand should be illegal, that he got the general gist of the place and that he wasn't willing to see any more. The warlord didn't seem to mind her amusement.

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
When Megatron came out from the portal, Y/n was already looking around curiously while zipping up her jacket.  
  
It was cold here. And breathtakingly beautiful.  
  
Huge, probably several century-old pines surrounded a crystal-clear lake, red and orange leaves from rare broad-leaved trees floating on the mirror-like surface slowly, moved by gentle wind. Mountains were visible on the horizon, and the sky was beginning to show gentle peach, rose and yellow colors. Wherever they were, it was relatively close to sunset here.

  
  
"Humans call this place the Siberian wilderness," Megatron's voice was so close to her, it made her breath hitch. She didn't notice when he raised his servo higher to his face.  
"So that's where we are," Y/n smiled as she turned to look at the mech,"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"  
The Decepticon lord gave her a thoughtful, appreciative look, before looking at the scenery.  
"Yes, it indeed is pleasing to the eye," he said as he raised his servo a bit higher, allowing Y/n to jump to his shoulder and sit there again.  
The girl thought again how much easier it was to notice every detail of the warlords face. She did try her best not to stare, however. That would be rude. And could also make him reconsider letting her sit on his shoulder.

  
  
They wandered the forests and looked down from mountains, got to see wolves, foxes, moose, eagles and many more animals before it became dark. They even saw an owl after sundown, as it swept down and caught a mouse in its talons before flying off. The young woman could swear that the warlord was a tiny bit impressed, or at least interested.  
When it did become dark they found a hill with a magnificent view of the night sky and, just like on the Nemesis, Y/n was mostly safe from the cold thanks to Megatron's big servos and warm chassis. They talked about small things, life stories mostly.  
He told her how the Nemesis once entered an orbit of a planet that was populated by fuzzy giant-eyed pastel-colored...round things. The creatures could fly and soon enough found their way onto the warship, causing an infestation. Upon death, they produced an unimaginably loud, harmful to the cybertronian audials screech, so the Decepticons had to try and take care of the problem by herding the pests and driving them off the ship non-violently. Megatron was _not_ happy.  
She told him how, when she was younger, she and her three friends escaped from summer camp at night to go visit an abandoned Victorian house. They found some cool stuff there. They also ran into a bum and everybody got a scare from that encounter, the bum included. Somehow, word got out and they got punished with washing dishes in the cafeteria the next morning.  
Story after story, time went by.

  
"Did I ever tell you the story of how I was an insensitive jerk to my coworker?"  
"You? Insensitive? I find that hard to believe," Megatron smirked and Y/n chuckled.  
"No, no, really. This was a bad one. So we're walking from work, it's about the middle of January and, as we walk down the street, it's already dark and you can actually see the brightest stars and, especially, the closest planets at that time of the year - Venus and Mars. I, as you can imagine, start rambling about this and that, 'Oh that one's called Altair, and that one.."- Well, you know me."  
"I do," the Decepticon leader nods, "And I appreciate that trait of yours."  
"Oh, well, thank you," the girl finds her cheeks warming up at his unexpected words and offers the warlord a thankful smile before continuing, "But my coworker, she's a more simpleminded woman. Not bad, not mean, just...simpleminded, stars or anything of the like don't really interest her. But, as we walk, she points at Venus that's shining super bright, like so bright that you could see with the naked eye that it was a planet, and says 'See that stah'? That stah' there, the biggest one, that's my late daddeh!'. And do you know what I immediately answer? 'Well, sure. If your father is the planet Venus, that is. January is when Venus is best seen from Earth'. And then I shut up because I realize how much like an asshole I sounded."  
Y/n chuckles, shaking her head as the chassis behind her slightly vibrates from Megatron's own chuckling.  
"You were in the right," he points out.  
"Scientifically, but not morally!" she exclaims, looking at the mech and his crimson eyes shine with amusement and warmth towards her.  
They talk a bit more before another Groundbridge opens and they walk through, having spent about 4 hours in Russia's wilderness.

 

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
It's bright, there's snow everywhere and the wind is strong enough that Y/n instinctively holds tighter onto the alien warlord's servo.  
The view is to die for, there are mountain peaks everywhere you look, the sky is the color of purest Energon and rare fluffy clouds float by in a hurry.

  
"The Andean Mountains," Megatron clarifies and the sudden jump back to daytime makes sense now.  
She steadies her breathing, making herself calm down and take careful breaths before her 'upgraded' body quickly catches up and adjusts to the high altitude and the lesser percentage of oxygen in the air. In a minute, however, she's already looking around excitedly, listening to Megatron speak about how the Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world.  
Megatron's alt.form doesn't really have a cockpit or anything that she could look out of, so the lord just walks around with her in his servo and sometimes jumps from peak to peak, providing an exciting ride for the young woman as well as allowing her to enjoy the scenery together with him.

  
They don't talk much here, aside from remarks on this or that and Y/n's requests for another jump, but the time they have there is fun and the girl treasures in her heart the satisfied, toothy grins Megatron has on his face after a particularly risky jump or an especially steep climb. He seems to enjoy her gleeful laughter while the dangerous stunts take place.  
After almost two hours of that, they return to the Nemesis (Y/n having warned Steve and Knockout ahead of that that their lord will soon be back) and it feels like coming home.    
It's only about 18:00, she feels tired, but when the steel-colored mech asks if she would spend the evening with him she immediately agrees, only asking for a brief time for a shower and a change of clothes.  
The lord nods, his optics half-lidded and expression almost thankful.

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
  
The evening flies by as both good conversation and hot drinks are present, both participants of the 'party' time and again returning to their experiences throughout the day.  
"It's so surreal," she tells him as she looks at her phone's display(23:16),"We've been to Africa, Russia and South America, went from morning to past noon, then to evening, then back to daytime, it's amazing."  
"I am glad you enjoyed this little escapade," Megatron chuckles then sips some hot Energon.  
"The important thing is, did _you_ enjoy it?" the young woman asks, cocking her head slightly to the side and looking at the mech fondly,"It was your Birthday, after all."  
The warlord looks to the side, a thoughtful hum escaping his chassis before his gaze travels back to Y/n.  
"I did, genuinely so. For the first time in...a long while," he confesses with a sigh,"I am sure it was thanks to you."  
"Oh, well, the Earth is just a beautiful planet by itself," the young woman tries to be modest, but adds with a gentle smile: "I'm glad you had a good time. I also like to spend time with you, Lord Megatron."  
He gives her a long look, before saying:

  
"When in private, you may call me just by my name, Y/n."

  
  
It feels like her heart stopped and wondered for a while if it wanted to resume beating.  
"Megatron, then," she breathes out with a happy smile. He nods and it looks like he likes what he hears.

  
  
They continue to talk for a while, finding themselves discussing cybertronian poetry and she doesn't mention how he once told her that he used to write. He'd tell her if he wanted to. Instead, he listens to her thoughts and assumptions on several poems of the Golden Age that she received from him sometime prior, after that telling her about the time periods they were written in and the events that influenced them.  
The conversation then shifts again, somehow returning to the incident with the 'fluffy things' on the Nemesis and Megatron allowing himself to complain and grumble to Y/n about his subordinates. Frankly, sometimes the warlord's grumbling was endearing in a way, the girl thinks as she listens some more.

  
  
Then, finally, the tiredness kicks in and, like once before, Megatron offers her to stay. She agrees.

  
As she turns to her side for the 4th time in the last five minutes, she is met with a curious stare of crimson optics.  
"Are you uncomfortable?" the lord asks. Well, without a proper mattress, a pillow or some covers? Y/n wasn't choosy, but the covers were, however, the biggest problem right now. Megatron somehow seems to read her expression as he inquires again:  
"Are you cold, Y/n?"  
"Not necessarily cold, but I am used to sleeping under covers, so it's a little too breezy for me. But don't worry, I'll fall asleep soon, I'm tired enough to do that," she chuckles, but the cybertronian's face is serious as he nods in understanding.  
"I see. Allow me," with that, a huge metal hand gently picks the young woman up and lowers her just as gently on his chassis, right over his spark.  
Y/n is tired, surprised, blushing and irresistibly drawn to his warmth. Making herself comfortable, she puts one of her hands under her cheek and the other on the Decepticon insignia.

  
In the silence of the room, she then hears it.  
The beating of Megatron's spark.  
A strong, rhythmic sound in the depths of his chassis that makes her eyes slightly wet, so she hurries to close them.  
The lord seems to know that she heard it because he stays silent, his servo hovering above her yet not touching.  
  
"Goodnight, Megatron," she sighs and it's a sigh of contentment. The servo above her finally carefully lowers, covering her and bringing her an overwhelming sense of safety that lulls her to sleep almost instantly. The last thing she hears is the mech's deep, warmth-filled voice:

  
"Sleep well, dear Y/n."

  
  
  
*******

  
  
Somewhere on Megatron's desk, Y/n's phone blinked, new messages from Knockout appearing in the app:

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Y/n! Y/n, you won't believe what I found in the medbay stash. Completely forgot about it!_  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Listen, come over tomorrow as soon as you can, you'll wanna see this~ >;)_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So those stories about the summer camp and the planet Venus are true stories from my life. The story about falling off the bed was an actual conversation with my friends, like last week. So these kinds of dorky people really exist, if you wondered :D  
> So we're kinda at the point where someone should confess or something. Wonder when that'll happen?
> 
> Also, Knockout, WHAT DID YOU DO?


	21. Author's Notes

 

Hey, guys!

 

Don't worry, this isn't one of those 'Something happened, so no new chapters' post.

Actually, quite the opposite.

 

Basically, I can't seem to fall asleep at the moment, so I figured I'd make myself useful and make this post to keep you in the loop. I like to have at least some sort of back-n-forth with my readers, so feel free to comment if you have anything to say about this post or about any parts of the story.

So, okay, this PSA consists of two parts.

Part one will deal with some **Info** I want to put out there and part two will be the **Appreciation** part, where I'll talk about things and leave links so we can just take a sec and appreciate the little things than make (me) us happy.

 

 

So yeah, let's start with **Updates Regarding The Story**.

 

Firstly, I think everybody noticed how I am posting chapters like I'm gonna die soon. I don't know where the sudden wave of inspiration for the story came from, but I'm sure as hell happy it did(even if it put a dent in my plans to quickly update other stories)! Regardless, wherever it came from, I can assuredly say that all the hits and kudos and comments were a very, very pleasant surprise and they really do motivate me. Thank you guys for that :') <3

 

Secondly, I think everybody got it by now that the story won't be done in quite some time. I have much already planned out, my only hope is that it won't bore you.

Basically, this storyarc we're in now with Megatron will continue for ~10 or so chapters. I'll then be following the series' plot, changing it as I go along, making a whole new story on a familiar foundation. I _think_ I'll make it one chapter pro one episode, with maybe chapters unrelated to episodes sprinkled inbetween. And then  we'll dive into a completely new storyarc after that and whoo boy...I have much action and drama planned forwhen that happens. Anyway, I hope you'll find it interesting and stick around;)

 

Thirdly, and this connects to what I said above, I'll be re-watching TFP to refresh my memory of the events and follow them as closely as possible where it is needed. BUT. As I have stated in some of my Birthday-train-facts-about-me-thingies, I'm **so** in love with Optimus that it's not even funny. So you can expect a much less serious series of drabbles from me, probably all of them self-indulgent as hell, but if any of you happen to like it, that'll be double the joy for me. Just a heads up, just so you know I'll be going all heart-eyes for Optimus too while, of course, continuing to write this story.

 

 

Okay, with that done, let's just **Appreciate Some Things.**

These are things I come back to time and time again and that inspire me. My intention is that by putting them here, I can improve your mood and/or maybe let you understand where my ideas for the story come from.

Anyway...

 

**First of all.**

If you ever, ever forget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzsMrJVdNos

Watch it and never forget again :D

 

And, also, this person's concept artwork is unbeievably inspiring.

http://chvacher.deviantart.com/art/Transformers-Prime-Season-II-329030271

 

 

Okay, now, **Megatron things:**

 

1) Can we just appreciate _that laugh?_

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c65Y0rGt-xk

Especially 00:23-00:27, 00:36-00:38, and 01:18-01:19.

Also, Megatron, babe, you really let that Dark En go to your head. Primus, do I love him as an amazing strategist and a cunning villain and not just some easily-manipulated psycho.

 

2) Can we appreciate how brilliant Megatron is at fighting? I know we've seen him fight many times in the series, but in this instance they really tapped into those gladiator roots of his. Just look at those clean, efficient movements, at the weight that each strike carries. Truly, the mightiest gladiator of Kaon. When I personally think of Megatron as a warrior, I somehow imagine this as the best display of it. And those battle roars...I mean, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG2PKbc1fLA

Also, that moment when you're like "I can do this all day!" and the next second you collapse like a pile of rubble :D

Also _-also_ , at 4:57 the look that Megatron gives Optimus is just brilliant, notice the slight movement of his eyes, like he's thinking "Have I been wrong about you, Prime?". It's not often when Megatron doubts himself and on account of someone he's known for centuries and centuries. Oh those little details~

 

3) Okay, so remember that time when Megatron was worried for Soundwave and then Knockout found an 'obstruction' and freaked out while Megatron just continued to stand there, like "Oh, cool stuff"? And then continued talking to his bff while KO was running around with a grenade? I't's amazing :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgMkQU7lr6M

Look at 1:34, how Megatron pauses and looks at the camera, unimpressed, as the grenade blows up. Pure comedy gold. Jokes aside, for me, aside from the episode with the Cybonic plague, this bit here, where Knockout runs for cover in a panic and Megatron is like "Hmmm, interesting stuff, curious idea, I guess" really shows that Megatron has a very curious mind and a penchant for tech/inventions/science. Too bad he's only interested in their harmful implementation.

 

4) I could basically put any part of any episode here, but I decided on this one. Listen to it. Listen to how Megatron speaks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9hDkgYzkIU  (Also, KO isa sassy bitch and I love him for it. Also-also, Wheeljack is a badass.)

You can really notice how well-spoken the Decepticon lord is when he can/wants to be. He can rage like hell, sure, and that's part of his character, but here we can really see that he's not just your average "RAAR IMMEDIATELY RAGE OUT!" villain. Once again, I really like how they made him not only one of the strongest cybertronians, but also a smart, charismatic leader.

 

 

Okay, let's look at something else.

 

 

**Like Other Characters:**

Take a couple of minutes to appreciate **Soundwave.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmhGiB5W6A

I especially like how quietly he walks compared to other bots.

 

Ok, now **Ratchet.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KrkWKt9jAs

 

Now, of course, **Knockout.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqboAvaEYvE

 

I would post something about Optimus, but, honestly, everything I watch with him makes my heart ache. Just...mh. You get it, I'll shut up now.

 

So, instead, have **this.** I know many of you are not aware **this** existed. So here you go. I already had and will be references to **this** , because **this** is amazing.

**IF YOU WATCH ANYTHING HERE, WATCH THIS!**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7aB60g60u4 (All hail Steve!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cir4GbLkq6s (ASK MEGATRON. I die every single timeX'DDD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaTL4akk9F4 (Yeah. Maybe some minor issues there, dear.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJtGmgtcI_g (This is my fav honestly. Megatron reciting Christmas classics. Like, this is everything.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puvKUnIVrkM (I love Vehicons. I just...this is perfection.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfeTP_C0yq0 (...Pudding, anyone?)

 

Okay, last one.

Ready?

So remember in that one chapter Y/n wondered what was behind the door? Torture chamber? Weapons vault? My Little Pony shrine? So that was a reference to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZEL1hda9K8

I have no comments.

 

 

So yeah, to end all this, have some Good Knockout x Breakdown Art! I tried to find the original creator's link, if someone has DA links to stuff that's just lamely posted as a picture, please leave it in the comments, I'll edit it so that the artist gets the credit they rightfully deserve.

 

http://herzspalter.tumblr.com/post/94647404195/commission-for-trepanties-who-asked-for-breakdown

http://zgul-osr1113.deviantart.com/art/Breakdown-and-Knockout-306870374

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/27/c4/a7/27c4a7d1c2ebec72cb844d8543932287.jpg

http://transformers-prime.deviantart.com/art/TFP-Knockout-s-headlight-270090101

http://koch43.deviantart.com/art/Knockout-318052620

http://iwanita.tumblr.com/post/74217310861/lisoundy-tfp-i-love-cats-by-aka-hito

 

 

Okay, I think I'm done for now! Sorry that this isn't a proper story chapter, but I'll post one soon ;)

Again, thanks to all of you for the support! <3

And Good morning/Good day/Good evening/Good night to you, wherever in the world you are! :)

 

I think I can finally get some shut eye....ZzzzZZZzzz

 

Oh, BTW, I painted my nails Knockout style! I'll show you in the notes of the next chapter ;D

Ok, bye!

 

 

 


	22. Curious Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n wakes up and, after Megatron brings her to her room, gets visited by some unexpected mechs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaa, you thought I'd give you a chapter which shows what KO and BD did, huh?  
> Nope!  
> Just kidding, it's the next one and I'm already editing it.
> 
> Until then, have this, whatever this is :D
> 
> Oh yeah, I promised KO-styled nails, didn't I? You can't quite see the true colors, but you get the gist of it. Also, my perfume mist and scarf are KOxBD. RATE MY STYLE, FAM XDDD  
> https://ibb.co/gXtnQa

 

As sleep gradually freed Y/n from its embrace, the first thing that she felt was that she was laying on a hard, warm surface. Her eyes still closed, she remembered the day before, realizing what exactly the 'surface' was. Megatron's chassis. She was sleeping on the Decepticon leader's metal chest.  
Her immediate reaction would be to open her eyes to see if the alien lord was awake, but she stopped herself.

  
  
Just a couple more minutes, she promised herself.

  
  
Whether Megatron was asleep or not - before she found out, she wanted to enjoy the warmth that was provided by his chassis and kept around her by way of his huge servo covering her from the shoulders down like some strange, secure mini-dome. She also wanted to bring her thoughts in order.  
  
The previous day was...well, it was nothing short of amazing. The travels, the sights, the conversations, chuckles and even some jumping and climbing in the Andean mountains. But, somehow, despite all that the crowning jewel of the day was the time spent in the familiar walls of Megatron's quarters, just getting to share a quiet wind-down with the cybertronian lord.

  
Megatron was a mountain of metal, if there ever was the embodiment of power - it was him. His step was always a confident one, his voice was always one that made everyone in the room listen, his crimson optics picked up on everything he deemed important enough. But on evenings such as yesterday, the Decepticon lord's posture and his behavior could be seen becoming more relaxed by the hour as his usual daily demeanor lost its grip bit by bit. Y/n knew by this point how it went. Little by little, the warlord would be more inclined to answer in a joking manner or get really invested in a discussion or allow his optics to give her a gentler gaze.  
  
Funny, she thought, she was on the Nemesis only for a month and a week now, but somehow it felt like much longer has past since she first arrived onto the warship. She mused that it might have been because of the fact that, usually, people took the time to make friends in their spare time. For Y/n, _all_ time was basically spare time as of the last 5 months. So, obviously, she spent it either in her cabin or with her new friends. Or with Megatron.

  
Megatron. Not Lord Megatron, not in private. Just Megatron.

  
  
Snapping out of her thoughtful slumberlike state, the young woman took a deep breath and let herself listen to the barely audible pulsing hum under her for a little while. The strong, healthy sound of Megatron's spark made the corners of her lips quirk up. Deciding it was time to stop stalling, the young woman slowly opened her eyes.  
The first thing she saw was the surface of the warlord's steel-colored chassis and the ends of his sharp digits. She took a good long look at the giant metal hand that carefully covered her, keeping her safe and warm through the night.  
  
The girl then turned slowly, now being on her stomach, and looked up...only to immediately lock eyes with a sleepy Decepticon leader.  
"Oh, good morning. I'm sorry, did I wake you up by moving?" she asked softly and couldn't help but smile warmly as she looked at the great and terrifying lord's sleepy faceplate.  
"Good morning to you too, Y/n. And no, you did not," the mech said in a slightly more deep and gravelly voice as he shook his head slowly, his optics half lidded and looking at her thoughtfully.  
"I'm glad, then," she sighed softly in relief.  
Covering her mouth, the girl yawned and moved her shoulders slightly as her body woke up bit by bit.  
"Megatron?"  
"Yes, Y/n?"  
"Just checking if you're still okay with me calling you just by your name," the young woman smiled as she crossed her arms in front of her and put her head on her forearms. The warlord raised an optic ridge, the corner of his mouth treacherously close to quirking upward.  
They looked at each other for a moment and the silence seemed both comfortable yet somehow unsure. There they were, her laying on his chassis, his servo covering her body, but no words were ever spoken about where they stood presently.

  
Thinking that it's too early to start overthinking stuff already, Y/n cocks her head to the side and asks simply:  
"You probably want to get up and get to work?"  
The Decepticon leader hums thoughtfully while he looks at her. She can tell that he's completely awake by this point and there's a familiar seriousness creeping in onto his expression that tells her that he's beginning to think about something important.

  
He was a commander at war, after all.

  
Finally, Megatron nods and lifts his servo off her. The girl sits up and it's _so_ very strange to look down at Megatron as her eye-level is now higher than his. The mech seems to be in a thoughtful mood as he just looks at her, thinking something to himself. The constant gaze of red optics might have unnerved anyone else, but Y/n grew fairly familiar with the warlord's expressions. His current attention towards her wasn't out of discontent so she was at peace. Whatever the mech was thinking, she didn't want to hinder him in doing that.  
She was just about to get up and try and make her way towards the side of the berth when Megatron offered her his servo.  
"I will take you to your house, Y/n," he explained. The gesture was a small yet an endearing one, making the young woman nod and smile in thanks.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
After the Decepticon lord brought her to her cabin, it was mostly an average morning.  
A shower. A change of clothes. Some toasts with jelly. Tea.  
As she was sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, her legs tucked under herself, and swapped through the photos she took yesterday on her phone, the journey felt surreal.  
The Savannah, the Siberian wilderness, the Andean mountains. With Megatron.  
  
A childish, joyful giggle escaped her.  
  
All of that did feel surreal.  
But the memories of the African heat, the Siberian cold and the mountain winds were real. The little souvenir she brought with her was real too.  
A Siberian cedar pine cone, a thing two sizes of her fist in height. She knew that the dark brown, symmetrical pine cone contained some delicious nuts inside, but couldn't make herself ruin it. Instead, she placed it on a bookcase, making it a lovely little decoration and memento.

  
  
So here she was, swapping through photos as she finished her tea, just about ready to text Knockout to say that she'll be done soon. After all, he did want to show her something.

  
  
Then, the door quietly slid to the side.  
"Hm?" the girl quietly hummed as she looked up from her phone.  
  
Several Vehicons stood in the doorway.  
God, she really hated how they were all exactly the same, so she had to wait for them to speak or move in a familiar way for her to know who's who. Nevertheless, no reason to be rude.  
"Good morning, can I help you?" she inquired and by the familiar chuckle that she got as a reply she immediately knew that the one mech in front of the bunch was no other than Steve.  
"Oh haha, friend," she grinned, happy to see him.  
"G'morning to you too, Y/n," the mech responded as he walked over to her, only to turn around as soon as he was halfway there, facing the bots accompanying him."Well? You coming or what?"

  
  
Curious, Y/n looked at the Vehicons. She would have assumed those were Kody, Neil and Bob, but Steve's friends would usually have walked up to her already. So this was someone new.

  
  
The three new mechs grumbled among themselves, then finally stepped into the room, looking over her cabin and her in particular.  
Trying not to show her confusion, Y/n stood up from the chair to greet her guests(even if she was, in a sense, their guest).  
  
"C'mon already," Steve sighed in annoyance as he stepped back and pushed his comrades forward with his servos and a foot. The three stumbled forward and Y/n momentarily thought how tragic and hilarious it would be if they fell onto her and the cabin. She wondered if she could regenerate from being squashed to the consistency of mashed potatoes.

  
Then, one of them spoke, scratching his helm with his servo in frustration:  
"So, I guess you don't remember me. I'm, ugh, the one you helped treat at the medbay. The fuel tank thing, you probably don't remember-"  
"Of course I do, you're the one with the finer fuel lines in your stom- em, fuel tank area all messed up by the explosion," Y/n said, slightly confused as to why would a Vehicon who showed so much disgust to her treating him show up at her doorstep.  
"You do?" the bot sounded genuinely surprised as he looked at her, his vizor seemingly shining brighter.  
"Of course I do. Are you...May I ask-" she looked at the other two bots curiously,"Are you the ones I helped treat, too?"

  
The mechs nodded.

  
"Oh. Is there something bothering you?" she felt a pang of worry in her chest. Had she somehow screwed up? Knockout gave the bots medical scans and said that they were okay, but maybe there was something they - she - missed?  
The Vehicons shared a look, then looked back at her.  
"Err, actually," the mech on the right from Mr.FuelTank spoke up, "We're kinda here to just, em-"  
"We're here to say 'thanks', okay?" the bot to the right spat out in a tone like he was rolling his eyes.  
"Oh," Y/n blinked in surprise, but then her e/c eyes shone with a warm, kind light as a smile appeared on her lips."You are all very welcome."  
"Yeah, whatevs," the left one said and, immediately, got a smack on the back of the head from Steve, making Y/n suppress a giggle.  
"I'm glad you're feeling fine," she continued, "I know you're brave soldiers and all, but try to be careful if you can."  
The mechs looked at each other again, by their body language the young woman could determine that they were somewhat confused because of something. She would have asked their names, but Steve once told her that it's a sensitive topic among Vehicons for some reason, so she refrained.  
"Yeah," Mr.FuelTank muttered,"So, ugh, that's all."  
"I appreciate it," Y/n assured and she was honest when she said it. Something like this was definitely surprising, but in a very good way.  
"Wait a sec, before we go," the mech on the right suddenly spoke up again,"You said you remembered us. So, em. Me too?"  
"If you tell me about how we met," Y/n chuckled softly, "What were your injuries?"  
"Emm, the spark chamber thing. With terran rocks and stuff."  
"Oh, I remember," the young woman's smile grew softer, "I remember I snapped at you. Sorry about that."  
"You _do_ remember!" he gasped," And, em, no, no. I was being a sparkling, I guess. You were right..."  
The last words were muttered so quietly that, if Y/n was still an ordinary human, she'd have to really strain her hearing to catch that. But the words made her feel better about the whole situation, even if deep down in her heart she knew she was right that time.  
The winged Vehicon on the left stood half-turned to her, arms crossed, but slightly turned his head to her.  
"Damaged neck cabling?"  
"I had a feeling it was you," Y/n smirked, "Recognized the attitude. How's your left aileron, by the way?"  
The bot stiffened, not expecting the response.  
"It's fine," he answered, voice somehow softer, before looking away again. Y/n chuckled softly and shook her head.  
"Well, thank you for coming over. It was nice to see that you all are well now," she said. The Vehicons mumbled some goodbyes like a bunch of schoolboys at the nurse's office and exited the room, leaving a very smug Steve behind.

  
"Soo...?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow at the mech and he smirked, coming closer and sitting in front of her.  
"So we're celebrating Lord Megatron's Coming Online Day with the guys, and Kody mentions how he wants to play some human board games with you, right? And we usually don't discuss you in public places, but we're all tipsy by this point, having spent the year's ration-savings on some high-grade...and having made some ourselves- So _anyway!_ This one mech walks by, hears your name, stops and is like 'Hey did that human patch you up too? Heard someone had her buried head-first, hips-deep in their chassis. Gross, right? Like, stuff of nightmares.' And then another mech turns around on the bench and is like, 'So the big tough bot is afraid of a human?' and, of course, they start a fight-"  
"Oh my lord, you are children," Y/n facepalmed.  
"Lord Megatron doesn't have anything to do with this," Steve quipped, then continued,"Anyway, later in the celebration we run into some mechs who really were treated by you. Some were really grossed out, others preferred to act like nothing of the sort happened, but these three," he nodded to the closed door, "were kinda curious. So we spent some time drinking. I may have told them a bit about you."  
"A bit?" Y/n raised and eyebrow, as she crossed her arms and sat down on the chair again.  
"Told some stories about the time while I monitored you-"  
"Well, that's not so b-"  
"Showed some photos of you doing human stuff."  
"Oh my god," the girl facepalmed and shook her head,"What, exactly?"  
"Nothing drastic, you perv!" Steve chuckled and she looked up from her hand in mock-distress.  
" _I'm_ the perv? _You_ took photos of me and showed them to your drinking buddies and my patients!"  
"Well it sounds bad if you put it like _that_ ," Steve argued.

  
There was a tense silence for a long moment. Then, both of them chuckled.

  
"Nah, just you drinking tea on the porch or reading, or throwing flat rocks on the lake and stupid stuff like that."  
"I figured you wouldn't betray me, Steve."  
"Bros before shortlived fame," the mech smirked and offered her a fist. She gladly gave him a fistbump.  
"Brofist," the Vehicon mumbled.  
"Still watching PewDiePie, I see."  
"Did you know he has a really cute girlfriend with a funny voice?"  
"Steve, please."  
"I'm subbed to her too now. She posts videos with the pug."  
"Steve."  
"Did you hear about a gamer named Cryaotic? He has a real cool voice."  
"Steve."  
"...What?"  
"I love you, never change."  
"Still not into humans, Y/n."  
"Ouch. But no, platonic love, dude."  
"Oh, okay, then right back at ya, bro."  
  
  
They spent a while talking, mainly Steve telling her about yesterday's celebrations and showing her videos. Her favorites were the ones where the wasted mechs would dance to music that Steve picked up from her YouTube playlist. Never in her life would she imagine seeing Vehicons attempting to dance to Mystery Skulls' songs. The best video, however, was the one where everything is going as it was in all previous videos, and then Steve yells out 'Got a tip - Lord Megatron's on his way back!' and everyone starts frantically cleaning everything up and trying to act as if nothing ever happened while stumbling over stuff and falling on their faceplates, all the while Pendulum's 'Bloodsugar' was still playing in the background. She laughed to tears at that one.  
"Thanks for the warning, though," Steve said as she was wiping a tear away.  
"You're welcome," she giggled.  
"So was it hard?"  
"Huh?"  
"Being Lord Megatron's 'local' guide? I imagine it would be stressful."

  
  
Oh right, Steve didn't- Well, probably for the best.

  
  
"No, it was okay," she smiled, "I managed. Thankfully, the sights were pretty enough to appease him."  
"Lucky thing, huh?"  
"Yep."  
  
They chatted for a bit more before the mech informed her that he had an assignment to take care of and she sent him on his merry way.  
Well, the morning sure was a good one indeed. Now, she had a doctor's appointment.  


  
  
_Okay, so I can come by in 10 mins or so._  
_Or are you busy?_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: No, it's good. See you then >;)_

  
  
_I'm kinda scared already tbh._

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Whatever your expectations, they pale in comparison._

  
  
_I'm torn between running to the medbay as fast as I can and finding a way to escape this ship while I still can._

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: We both know you'll come. You just want to know so badly~_

  
  
_Curses, you know me too well!_

 

  
  
Smirking, Y/n plugged her earphones into the audio jack of her phone and started making her way towards the medbay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On our way to the medbay. Hope the experience won't kill us!  
> See you there soon!
> 
> Oh.  
> And THIS. This is basically me every morning:  
> https://68.media.tumblr.com/4d3466b8991cd4f2f72e33d42bc27a9f/tumblr_inline_mm8u3l89nc1qz4rgp.gif


	23. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally learn what Knockout did.

  
_You guys, I'm at the door._

  
  
_|Seen|_

  
  
_Guys?_

  
  
_|Seen|_

  
  
_The door?_

  
  
_|Seen|_

 

  
  
  
The doors to the medbay finally slid open and she stepped inside, curiously not seeing either of her friends.  
Raising and eyebrow, Y/n walked further into the room as the doors slid shut.  
  
"Knockout? Breakdown?" she called out. Silence. What were they up to? "If this is some joke and you want to jump out and scare me, then try not to jump on me in the process! Humans are squishy!"  
Still silence.  
"Especially you, Breakdown, don't you jump on me," the girl added with a chuckle, humor being her first reaction in case of nervousness.  
  
Turning a corner around the main examination table, she heard familiar laughs. Looking around, she couldn't see the mechs, though. Making an annoyed face, the young woman stopped and listened closely.

  
  
What she heard made goosebumps run down her spine.  
Footsteps. Human ones.

  
  
What did those idiots do?

  
  
Dashing towards the sound, she turned the corner, around the huge metal counter and saw-  
Humans. Two humans. Two men.

  
  
"Help us, please!" the first man, an Italian-looking guy with auburn hair, called out to her, as he lay on the floor. The second man, much bigger in complexion, with light caramel skin and ash blond hair, was sitting by his side, clutching his side.  
  
She was speechless for a moment.  
What...how? _Why?_  
Humans were all but useless on the ship, why would Knockout and Breakdown expose the Decepticons in such a way? More importantly, why couldn't she feel the men like she felt the presence of other humans?  
Something was not right.

  
  
Who were these people and where were her friends?

  
  
The auburn-haired man groaned again and it sounded a bit too dramatic. There wasn't any scent of human blood in the air, they clearly weren't injured as bad as they tried to seem.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, her tone calm, her back straightening as her gaze became colder.  
"Bah! We were obviously captured, can't you help us?!" the Italian whined, the man next to him nodded. That wasn't an answer she was looking for. But there was something else, something she didn't notice in her shock. The man's voice, it was familiar. Too familiar.  
"You," she looked at the darker-skinned male, the outer rim of her irises starting to glow a dangerous Energon-blue,"Talk."  
"Hey there, no need to be all scary, Y/n!" the guy raised his huge hands in defense.  
"Breakdown, you gave it away!" the Italian smacked the other man on the shoulder.  
"Ouch! _You_ gave us away _just now_ , Knockout!"  
"Oh, of course it's always me!"  
"Isn't it always you?"  
"Well-"

  
"Is this a joke?"

  
  
The two whipped their heads to face Y/n who just stood there, dumbfounded, her eyes back to normal.  
"Eeh...surprise?" the larger male offered.

  
  
"What. The actual. Fuck."

  
  
"Holomatter generator, actually," the auburn-haired man corrected, his intense cognac eyes shining with amusement.  
  
Y/n just stood there for a while, looking at the men as they broke into laughter.  
  
"Geez, your face!" Breakdown held onto his stomach while Knockout put a hand on his chest, both laughing it up while all Y/n could do was stand there, looking stupid.  
"Oh, poor girl, she's so lost, look at her!" the medic tried to calm down, but his shoulders still trembled as he hid his face in his assistant's broad chest.  
  
"Okay," the young woman, still looking exactly as Knockout described her - lost - ran a hand through her h/c hair, "Okay. So I'll ask calmly. Knockout. _What did you do?_ "  
  
The doctor turned, revealing his mischievous eyes and smiled smugly.  
"Already told you, beautiful. Holomatter generator. Was looking for something else yesterday, stumbled on the place where I kept them in case Decepticons ever needed them. Decided to fool around a little-"  
"And dragged me into it too," Breakdown added, placing a hand on the medic's shoulder.  
  
"H'okay," the girl said with a sigh, processing the information as she stepped a bit closer, "So you're holograms?"  
" _Advanced_ holograms," Knockout corrected, waving a hand, "I improved them myself, taking into account human biometrics, the way sensation should feel in these forms and some other stuff."  
"I think she means if we're tangible or not," Breakdown muttered to his partner and a look of realization flashed in Knockout's eyes.  
"Well, holomatter avatars can be intangible or solid, but, yes, at the moment we're very much tangible!" the former red mech explained.  
"So, um...hug?" Breakdown offered, his typical wide grin now on his face, one of his hands still resting on the doctor's shoulder and the other wide open.  
  
  
She looked over her two friends, then took a step in their direction. Then another, and another.

  
  
"Hey, you look so much better from this angle," Knockout chuckled but then gasped as Y/n hugged both of the 'men'.  
"Now that's better!" Breakdown laughed, wrapping both of his muscled arms around them in a bear hug and lifting them off the ground in the process.  
"B-Breakdown, don't forget that these forms are squishy!" the medic tried to sound angry, but his tone didn't convince anybody.  
As Breakdown chuckled, Y/n couldn't help but laugh too, the shock finally letting go of her.  
"You two softies," Knockout grumbled,"Watch the hair, don't ruin the hair."  
"You don't change. Now don't be a bummer and participate in this," Y/n pointed out and the medic gave a soft hmph before finally submitting and hugging them both back.  
  
As Breakdown lowered both of them back and their feet touched the floor, Y/n took a few steps back, a happy blush noticeable on her cheeks. It was one thing to have the cybertronians as friends, to hang out and sit on their shoulders or servos, but it was an entirely different thing to actually speak to them at a -mostly - even eye-level and being able to hug them.

  
  
"I imagine you have a lot of questions, you being you," Knockout smirked. Y/n wordlessly nodded, her eyes shining with curiosity. Breakdown chuckled.  
"Okay, let's go," the doctor's assistant led her and his partner to one of the back rooms, where their actual quarters were. As the door opened, Y/n looked at the sight before her, then back at the men, then to the picture in front of her again.  
"Well, this is _very_ strange," she said, nodding to the actual bodies of the two mechs, lying on the wide berth like they were a couple of boxed action figures.  
"Oh, you mean seeing double of my handsome self?" Knockout wiggled his eyebrows, smirking.  
"No. You're not hugging in your sleep. Come on, I know you always hug while you recharge," Y/n flashed the medic a wide knowing smile and he made a hilarious awkward face before pointing a finger at her.  
"Well that is _none_ of your business!"  
"Aw, come on, Knockout, don't be rude," Breakdown smiled as he chided his partner lightly.  
" _You,_ " Knockout looked at the larger male, his eyes narrowing," _You_ told her."  
"Oh, big government secret, watch out," the girl chuckled.  
The doctor looked at them both with a frown, then took a dramatic sigh and shook his head.  
"Well, if we're all such close friends, I can tell you what _else_ we do on that berth," Knockout proposed in a husky, sexy voice while looking at Y/n.  
"Nah, Breakdown already told me in detail. Interesting kinks you have, Knockout," she shrugged her shoulders, a confident smile on her face.  
"You. Did. What?" the medic turned his head to face his partner, his signature 'mad doctor' expression on his face.  
"I didn't!" the large man panicked as he looked at both Knockout and Y/n in horror. The young woman chuckled.  
"Kidding. That was for that stunt in the medbay."  
"Hehee..."  
"Oh shut it Breakdown, it wasn't funny," Knockout rolled his eyes, but then couldn't help but smirk, "Okay, maybe a little. Let's talk holomatter now, shall we?"

  
  
For the next hour, Y/n was assaulting both of her friends with questions about their new forms.

  
  
What were they, exactly?  
  
Holomatter avatars were forms cybertronians could create, using holomatter generators - miniature devices that could be integrated into cybertronian systems under their armor and that received input from both the bot's processor and their spark. Holomatter avatars can be intangible, or as solid as a real object, but usually cybertronians use them in solid form. Holomatter avatars are usually used to create facsimiles of native species which are too small or fleshy for cybertronians to mimic with their mechanical altmodes. The avatar isn't just a friendly image to fool a species, it's also the cybertronian equivalent of a remotely operated vehicle, allowing a bot to go places and perform actions that would otherwise be prevented by their size and the need to camouflage their true identities. Having an avatar in a location is like the bot being there himself. An avatar can function up to at least 400 miles away from the controlling bot, even when separated by solid walls.

  
  
Could they feel?  
  
Yes, they could. Knockout tweaked the devices to adapt to human physiology, so basically every time they touched something/someone or something/someone touched them, the information  about the amount of pressure/heat/various other factors was transmitted via wireless link to the controlling bot's processor, sending out the same signals they would feel in they were touched so. In simple words - Yes, they could feel. The sensation of taste was a harder puzzle to solve, however, as cybertronians consumed Energon and no one could possibly catalog all the tastes of human food, and it would take time to properly calibrate the tastebuds of their simulated tongues. But Knockout assured her that he'd deal with that, too.

  
  
This was amazing! Why didn't they use this earlier?  
  
Well, the Decepticons never actually used these. The devices Knockout had and upgraded were captured after a successful raid on an Autobot base centuries ago.

  
  
But why not?  
  
Well, while the holomatter avatars have their advantages, the full sensory feedback is as much a good thing as it is a bad one. Holomatter avatars carry a strong connection to the consciousness of its generating bot. Damage to the avatar can cause severe impairment to the controlling bot if their consciousness is not withdrawn in time. Holomatter disguises are also limited by their operator's understanding of the lifeform they mimic, so the average Vehicon would find the process problematic.  
Most of all, however, the transfer of consciousness means that the real, cybertronian body is left vulnerable.    
  
Basically, it isn't worth it normally.

  
  
"Oh, I see," Y/n nodded, her hand pressed to her bottom lip as she thoughtfully looked down,"Well yeah, if you're not planning on making friends with organic locals, there's no need for these things. From what I've seen, Megatron prefers to keep the planet's natives out of the loop. But why would the Autobot's need this?"  
She looked up at her friends questioningly. Knockout gave a condescending hmph and a dismissive wave of his hand while Breakdown just shrugged.  
"Probably needed something from the locals, tried to gain their trust or something, right?" she wondered out loud.  
"Probably. Who's to know what those losers wanted," the medic rolled his eyes, then looked at the young woman smugly, "More importantly, did you see how gorgeous I am?"  
"You know," Y/n chuckled softly, looking over her egotistical friend, "I'm not even gonna try to deny that. You look like a model, Knockout."  
"Well _of course_ I do," the doctor gave her a cocky grin, obviously happy with her answer, "Holomatter avatars are designed to represent their owner’s personality - their state of mind, if you will. So it's no wonder I'm a fresh young superstar and Breakdown here is the most adorable thing you'll ever see."  
"Hey," the other man chuckled, his light amber eyes warm, "I'm a big tough guy!"  
"Yeah, that too," Knockout all but purred, looking at his partner with an expression that made Y/n realize that it was time to get the slag out of there right about now.  
And that she did, promising that next time they definitely should do something human'ish.

 

*******

  
  
  
That evening she had a lot to think about.  
Cybertronians could actually create these...holomatter avatars. This was such advanced tech, it was unvelievable. But there it was.

  
  
What if Megatron-

  
  
No, no. He wouldn't.  
The mech didn't scan a human jet for his altform, preferring to stick to his cybertronian one out of pride, so there was no way in nine hells that he'd even consider-

 

  
But what would he look like?

  
  
Knockout said the holomatter generator was connected to both the processor and the spark, and that it created an avatar that represented their owner’s personality. Their state of mind.  
Steve said that Megatron wasn't at all old by cybertronian standards. But, Y/n thought, all this war, it surely left a mark on Megatron's spark. So maybe he'd look older than he actually was. But how old 'actually' was he if he was to be recreated in human form? 30? 35? 40?  
  
Sighing, the young woman tucked her legs under herself and snuggled into her blanket, watching Youtube on her laptop, trying to get the persistent thought out of her head.  
  
**+** A holomatter avatar wouldn't require Megatron to change anything.  
**-** Other than implant a device that connected to his brain and his very heart/soul.  
  
**+** It could be so fascinating and fun.  
**-** It could potentially be dangerous and land Knockout and Breakdown in trouble.

  
  
"Tsk," the young woman frowned. No, there was no way she would endanger her friends' carreers and relationship with their lord by telling the Decepticon leader about the device.  
A shame, really, but Megatron knew this ship and it's assets better than anyone. If he would have thought about something like that, he'd probably remember something as important as a holomatter generator.  
With a sigh, the girl paused the video and started watching it from the beginning as she completely missed everything.  
  
She then heard something happening on her porch and, as she paused the video again and looked at the door cautiously, she heard a knock.  
An actual knock.

  
"No...they couldn't," she muttered to herself as she stood up and walked up to the door. Looking through the peephole, she felt a huge smile appear on her face.

  
  
"Are you insane?" she asked as she opened the door,"What if someone saw you?"  
Knockout answered with a smug grin and Breakdown just smirked and shrugged.  
"Come on in," she chuckled, smiling gleefully and stepping aside.  
"Sweet, never was in a human house!" the larger man hurried into the cabin.  
"That's because you've never fit in one before," the medic chuckled softly and proceeded to waltz into Y/n's home, "Hope you have some interesting stuff we can-Hey, a mirror!"  
The young woman could only giggle at the insanity that was her life and close the door, hoping that Soundwave wasn't monitoring the room in that exact moment.

  
  
They ended up staying up all night.  
Both of her friends spent a considerable amount of time just touching her. Platonically. But very curiously, as she was a real human. Especially Knockout, who just kept repeating that he was a doctor so no need for shyness. Still, what was off-limits remained off-limits, both mechs were not children and knew the no-no areas, after all.  
They were especially intrigued by her hair, playing with it for a while, asking questions for Knockout to later improve the sensory feedback on the avatars.  
Eventually, however, the curiosity subsided and they moved on onto doing stupid fun stuff, like playing video games, using every single thing in the house ('Oh, what's this?-Hand cream.-It feels gross...Ooo, my skin is so smooth!) and then the mechs trying out human furniture and its textures.  
  
"Everything's so soft!" Breakdown grinned as he lay on the couch at 4 at the morning.  
"Well you're a soft little human at the moment, too," Knockout smirked as he sat down on the blonde's stomach.  
"Oof- hahah, I guess," the assistant chuckled, his adoring amber eyes not leaving his partner's face. It must be some experience, to see your lover in such a new, yet strangely familiar light.  
"Geez, guys," Y/n smiled,"Do I need to leave so you can enjoy your human experience?"

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
Communications Officer Soundwave was a mech who was used to getting recharge time when it was most convenient and when there was the least work to do.  
So it was nothing out of the ordinary for him to skip recharge for a terran orbital cycle.

  
  
What was out of the ordinary was Y/n coming over at 4:31 AM.

  
  
As the recalibrated door to his office slid open and the mech turned around, he was met with the girl's warm smile. She looked a bit tired, but quite well overall, so Soundwave immediately decided that whatever brought her here wasn't a danger to her health.  
"Good morning, Commander Soundwave," the young woman said cheerfully, "Would I be a bother?"  
  
The dark mech thought for a second, then shook his head, already feeling Laserbeak's requests to be ejected. Complying, the Third-in-Command let his Deployer free and the latter immediately flew over to the approaching human.  
  
It was intriguing, how Laserbeak seemed to grow fond of the human so quickly. Was it because she was a cybertronian proxy? Or some other reason? Neither Soundwave nor Laserbeak himself knew, so the matter demanded further investigation.  
The mech watched as Y/n greeted the Deployer, reaching out and gently touching one his wings, prompting him to make a high-pitched whirr of approval.  
"Good morning to you too, Laserbeak," the young woman said and then looked at the bot again,"May I stay here for a while? I can't seem to get any sleep tonight."  
Soundwave, truth be told, didn't find the human a bother, she was well-behaved enough not to disturb him. And Laserbeak liked her. Not seeing any reason to refuse her request, Soundwave just nodded and returned to his duties.  
"Thank you."  
  
Then, he received a request from Laserbeak. Apparently, the Deployer wanted to fly several laps around the ship and in the surrounding area to make sure all his systems were working properly. And, mostly, to take Y/n with it.  
Soundwave approved the request and, almost immediately, heard Y/n's voice:  
"Hm? What is it, Laser-beeeak! Ahaha, Commander Soundwave, I think Laserbeak wants to- Whoa!Ahah!"  
Turning around once again, the dark mech saw that the young human was now sitting on the Deployer's back, the latter calibrating its wings, preparing to take off. As the girl looked at him, Soundwave flashed a message on his mask:  
[Advice: Hold on.]  
  
Immediately, the human obeyed, grabbing onto the upper pair of Laserbeak's wings. A second later, the door slid open and they were just _gone._ The Communications Officer was convinced that if the human wasn't a proxy, the speed and force of the take off would have probably knocked her off. As it was, it seemed that all was well.  
Bringing up the tab with the Nemesis's outer surveillance camera's, Soundwave easily found the duo. The feedback from Laserbeak assured Soundwave that he was having a good time, and judging by Y/n's face and voice, she was terrified, but also having fun as well.

  
This was...satisfactory. Now Soundwave could work in peace.  
Maybe, when he'll be done and if they weren't back by then, he himself could go out for a short flying session. Soundwave wasn't an easily excitable mech, but Laserbeak's feedback and Y/n's terrified/excited laugh were very convincing.  
Maybe.  
If he'll finish before they were done.

  
  
The symbiotic link with Laserbeak warmed Soundwave's spark with the positive experience his Deployer was having.  
Maybe. Maybe he'll join. After he's done. If they weren't back by then.

  
He didn't even notice how his spindly digits began typing faster.  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if anyone happens to be curious, I based KO and BD descriptions off this art by the lovely lauren-bennett:  
> http://lauren-bennett.deviantart.com/art/Humanformers-Knock-Out-and-Breakdown-533134050  
> Out of everything I've seen, this was the most realistic and cute humanization, it's been my fave since I've found it.
> 
> Also, holomatter is a canon thing. In fact, most of my description of it is from the TF wiki. Thank Primus for TF wiki.
> 
> Also-also, here's some more more links to KOxBD art. Just in case you need it to survive like me(and if you're so inclined, please tell the artists how great they are, they deserve it so much;)):  
> http://uniformshark.deviantart.com/art/Memories-293730681  
> http://iwanita.tumblr.com/post/66298912186  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/47/e7/d3/47e7d300e5305d1022f410421df7fde9.jpg  
> http://steeljaw.co.vu/post/122658332207/pangolinart-current-mood-still-celebrating-the  
> http://lisoundy.tumblr.com/post/137212915345/processormalfunction-i-should-probably-upload  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/4d/73/67/4d7367d6993b79784b9902abe124425b.jpg  
> http://acupfullofsynthen.tumblr.com/post/153438918050/schnaut-for-megaeimer-w-33-all-dem-feels  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/9d/b7/77/9db777a9d6e296be69be38e88750d7a2.jpg  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/56/7c/64/567c64e0ab18f38d0fc2c3daeb5bff92.jpg  
> http://chibigingi.deviantart.com/art/TFP-A-Matter-of-great-importance-323652255


	24. Part Of The Crew (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A three-part chapter, describing Y/n's days from the 24th of October to the 29th of November, with the POV sometimes switching to other characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had all these little ideas and I decided to incorporate them into three longer chapters(~6000 or ~7000 words when the usual is ~2500). This deals with Y/n becoming closer with some inhabitants of the Nemesis and some things that occur in that time. Funny things, stressful things, fluffy things - it's all here.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

The **24th of October** was a day of discoveries. First, her two 'human' friends explored human things inside her cabin, then, when she was back from Soundwave's, Y/n discovered something too. Namely, that holomatter could be manipulated to make cybertronian forms. She learned that when a human-sized red mech opened the door to her cabin.  
"Well, _of course_ we can do this," the doctor made an abstract gesture with his hands as she looked him over,"The most familiar form to us is our natural one, so we know how it should look and feel. The sensory feedback is actually better in this form, but I'll take care of that soon."

  
Knockout's cybertronian holomatter form seemed about 5 or 7 centimeters taller than his human form, but he was still at a very human height of about 185 centimeters, while Breakdown was about 190 centimeters while human and a bit short of 2 meters while cybertronian.

  
This was so fascinating! This time it was Y/n's turn to look and touch everywhere on her friends, her curiosity burning furiously in her soul. Knockout's servos were so elegant and impeccably taken care of, Breakdown's were big and strong and sturdy. The doctor's body was for speed and maneuverability, his assistant's was seemingly built to withstand hellfire itself.

  
"I tell him time and time again  'Let me buff you more than the bare minimum", but noo-," Knockout rolled his optics and Breakdown chuckled.  
"Well _some_ of us prefer to proudly wear evidence of battle on our chassis."  
"Bah!" the doctor made and annoyed face and Y/n smirked at how the two were acting like an old married couple. Come to think of it, they were a couple for longer than several human lifetimes, so there's probably nothing surprising about how in-synch and comfortable the two were around each other. The young woman was sure it was much more so than what she was allowed to see. So cute.  
"Well, thanks for letting us stay in your home, Y/n," Breakdown thanked her as he placed his big hand on her shoulder. It felt like real metal. Holomatter was amazing.  
"You're always welcome here," the girl looked at both mechs with a warm smile that turned a bit mischievous as she held her gaze on Knockout, "Though, for evicting me from my house at 4 AM and till noon, I want to request something in return."  
"Oh-hoo~  This ought to be good," the scarlet mech mused, "Well, what would that be?"  
"A cube of the best highgrade you have, sir," Y/n smirked.  
"Energon? Why'd _you_ need Energon?..."

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
It was a quiet evening. Soundwave was working in his office, quickly analyzing and forwarding/deleting/archiving data when the door slid open. Turning his head, he saw that it was the Nemesis' medic. The red mech held Y/n in one servo and a cube of brightly glowing high-grade Energon in the other.

  
"Hello there, Soundwave," Knockout proceeded to walk into the room with his usual swagger, "Don't mind me, I'm just delivering this to you for this little one. Here."  
The Third-in-Command turned around to face them and looked at the cube that the medic offered, then at the young woman who gave him a sheepish smile and an explanation:  
"You were so nice to let me stay a while, I just wanted to at least give you something in return. So the high-grade is on me."  
Soundwave looked at the brightly glowing cube again then back at the doctor, his mask reflecting Knockout's awkward smile. Spindly digits grasped the top half of the cube, slowly lifting it off the red mech's servo. Looking back at the girl, the Communications Officer nodded in thanks and she seemed overjoyed that he accepted the gift.  
"Well, this was very cute. Time to go~" the medic smirked confidently and turned, walking out. The last things Soundwave heard were Knockout's annoyed whispers and Y/n's giggling response:  
"Just _had_ to make me go to the most creepy mech on board."  
"Oh shush you, he's nice."  
"Mhm, sure, doll."  
  
  
Putting the cube on his desk, Soundwave gave it another thoughtful glance before returning to work. He'll be done soon. Perhaps, a cube of highgrade before recharge would be a good idea.  


 

*******

 

  
  
The **25th of October** was a peaceful, average day. Y/n got to spend it at the cabin, her only guest for the day being Steve, who came to visit her in the morning. Other than that, she spent the day reading, playing video games and spoiling herself with a home SPA-session - face masks, manicure and all that good stuff. All the while, she texted with her friends, both cybertronian and human. What a life.  
  
In the early hours of the **26th** , she awoke with a start, her heart beating in her chest wildly and her eyes glowing a familiar Energon-blue. A nightmare was the cause of that, one about what would have happened to her if Megatron didn't save her when he did. In this case, her mind showed her that she'd be constantly drugged and experimented on. Forcing herself to calm down, the young woman found comfort in the fact that she was currently on a flying warship full of giant alien robots.  
She wandered around the cabin for a while, drank some tea, watched some YouTube, then went back to sleep. The rest of the day was normal, with Steve, Bob, Kody and Neil coming to visit around noon, Knockout mentioning in chat that he's working on something interesting and Megatron inviting her over in the evening.  
  
  
On the **27th of October** , Megatron decided to visit the young woman during the day. He walked in as she was in the middle of a Skype call with her grandmother. As the Decepticon leader looked at Y/n through her bedroom window, she threw him a friendly look and took her phone into her hands.

  
_Y/n:Hey! :) Should I end the call or can you wait 5 mins?_

  
The cybertronian shook his head no.

  
_No, continue as long as needed, I will wait. Who are you talking to?_

  
_Y/n:Grandma._

  
Megatron nodded, then sat down and continued to watch the young woman as she held her laptop on her, well, lap and talked to her relative. It was adorable, really, how she smiled and giggled, and threw him joyful looks once in a while.  
"So, Y/n, honey, there's this thing wanted to ask you...?"  
"Yeah, gran?"  
"So uncle Nick gave me a CD. There's a video on it. Can you walk me through so I can watch it?"  
"Suuure," the girl gave an encouraging smile to the person on the other side of the call, though it hasn't escaped the observant watcher that was Megatron how her cheek twitched for the briefest of moments. Ah, was this going to be interesting?

  
  
This was hilarious.

  
  
5 minutes later, the girl was still wearing a kind, patient smile, yet Megatron saw how each of her grandmother's failures chipped that facade away little by little.  
"So I press the cross-"  
"Yes."  
"On the whole program-"  
"Nonono!"  
"I closed the program. What now?"  
"Now you open the program again, dearest," Y/n sighed as she momentarily threw her head back, then looked at Megatron. He didn't even hide the fact that he was amused by her turmoil. Throwing him an unimpressed glance, the girl returned to her explanations.  
"Okay, listen, gran, let's do this. Look at the window where my face is-"  
"Okay. You look lovely!"  
"Aw, thanks," seemingly moved, the girl took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "Now, move the cursor to the blue "+" button. See it?"  
"Yes..okay. Do I press it? I pressed it."  
"Okay, good, but usually don't press anything before I say so, k? Okay, now you probably see some options, like 'Send Files", "Send Contacts' and stuff. See it?"  
"Yeah."  
"Okay, find 'Share screens' and press it."  
"Pressed it. Do I press Start?"  
"Yep....Yeah, it worked! You did phenomenally!"

  
  
That? Phenomenal? Megatron realized he had hmphed only when he looked back at Y/n and she was giving him the 'Shut up' look. He smirked but decided to oblige.  
"Okay, gran, so now I can see your screen so it will go faster. Okay, click on 'My Computer'..."

  
  
And it _was_ over quicker than the warlord expected. In about 3 minutes, the girl walked out of the cabin, smirking at him.  
"Oh hardy-har, laugh at a granny who's trying to learn things in her 70s."  
"Well I'm more than a hundred times that and I manage," he jokingly reminded and Y/n chuckled and rolled her eyes.  
"Oh yeah, much pride in beating my grandma at that. Would you also boast if you beat her in combat?"  
"I am fairly certain I would annihilate her in combat," Megatron pointed out and the young woman laughed, making him feel all warm on the inside.  
"You're awful," she said in a way too affectionate tone for it to be meant seriously, "Reflex test!"  
With that, she jumped onto the porch railing, then jumped again, making the Decepticon hurry and turn his servos palms up to catch her. As she landed safely on her hands and feet and looked up at him, he let himself chuckle.  
"Playful today, aren't you?" Megatron inquired, smirking, as he brought his servos closer to his chassis.  
"You don't approve?" Y/n asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.  
"I do, very much so," he assured, "There is a question I want to ask you after watching you for the last 15 minutes, however."  
The girl sat down and crossed her legs, looking up at him with curiosity.  
"Sure, what is it?"  
"Apart from hating those directly aiming to cause you harm, I haven't witnessed you angry at anything. Do you really not hate anything?"

  
  
He had noticed this about the young woman. She was well-mannered, quick to offer a smile and a kind word. When she was in a bad mood, she was still calm and composed. Megatron had trouble believing there was nothing more to it, though. He knew that the human was rather good at self-control and those kinds of individuals usually had something they strived to keep in-check. He also hoped that there was something the girl loathed - someone who had things they hated was much more easy for him to understand. And he liked getting to understand Y/n more.

  
  
A beautiful, genuine laugh was his answer.  
"You, hahah, you think too highly of me. My lord," the girl chuckled, looking at him from under her lashes and Megatron would never admit it, but it made his spark skip a beat, "I hate _lots_ of things. Most of them have to do with my own kind, actually. Are you interested in serious things or things that just anger me?"  
Oh, how glad he was to hear that. Megatron raised an optic ridge and lowered his head slightly, looking the young woman in the eyes.  
"Let us start with simpler things. Do not skip the details."  
"You sure?"  
"I am."  
"Well, okay. But you owe me to not hold back in your next rant about your crew."  
"When have I ever?"

  
That day, Megatron learned much about Y/n. Though kind, the young woman didn't lack things she found irritating. She was also big on principles and honor and, at some point of their discussion, the Decepticon lord found himself thinking again how under _no_ circumstances should Y/n _ever_ meet Prime.  
  
  
On the **28th** , Y/n got an invitation to a Halloween party from her friends. Knockout got wind of this and insisted she ask the Decepticon lord if she could go because Knockout wanted to go. Not holding much hope, she shot Megatron a text, asking the warlord if it was possible.  
Yes, yes it was. Furthermore, if it didn't include her staying somewhere overnight, Megatron didn't have a problem with her groundbridging anywhere as long as she kept him informed.

  
Well, this just changed all the rules of the game, she thought.

  
  
She could go shopping right then and there!  
Oh wait. No, she couldn't. The amount of money she had, after all she's been through and after buying Megatron his gigantic-sized present, was...well, she could buy some cheap cat ears, maybe.

  
"Hmph, is that the only problem?" the red mech asked once he was in her room and, transforming into his altmode, instructed, "Look in the glove compartment."

  
...

  
" _Where did you get this?!_ " Y/n gasped as she held thousands of dollars in hundred dollar bills in her trembling hands.  
"I dabble in street racing, doll. And I'm quite good at it. The best, really," the sportscar boasted.  
"Why do _you_ even need money?"  
"Well I won it, why wouldn't I take it? Don't argue, Y/n, just go shopping. Go nuts, buy pretty stuff. Consider it payment for being my nurse."  
"You're the best, Knockout," the girl gently patted the hood of the car as she got out.  
"I know I am," the medic answered smugly, yet pleased with her words, "By the way, Y/n."  
"Yes?"  
"You owe me to go street racing with me next time."  
"Deal."  
"Buy something sexy for that occasion."  
"Huh. Okay."  
"It has to be red or have red. Color coordination, okay, doll?"  
"One - you're probably the only one in the universe who can call me 'doll' and not get hit. Two - okay, fine, you win. I promise to not disappoint you."  
The already transformed mech gave her a satisfied grin.  
  
  
  
The **29th of October** was when she visited her hometown. She promised her parents to be there for dinner, but the day was reserved for shopping with her friends.  
She already had an idea what she wanted for Halloween, but she spent some time picking out outfits that Knockout would deem acceptable for when she'd be his 'driver'. At the end of the 4-hour shopping session, she was happy with what she got. She always had a good sense of style, it was just that now she had the money to spend on things she really wanted. All hail Knockout.  
  
As she sat in a coffee shop with her friends, drinking an obligatory pumpkin-latte, she suddenly heard familiar voices.  
"Oh, hey, there she is!"  
"You're right. Hey, Y/n~"  
As Y/n felt the blood rush from her face and saw her friends' eyes widen in shock, a huge hand landed on her shoulder at the same time as Knockout's human holoform's face popped into view.  
"Fancy meeting you here, doll."

  
  
It took less than 10 seconds for Knockout - Ahem, Louis Rosso - to make all her friends fall in love with him. It took less than 5 minutes for Knockout to get bored of the humans.  
Although the red mech liked human horror movies, appreciated the automobile industry and loved all the ways humans came up with to pamper cars, human beings themselves weren't something Knockout liked. He liked Y/n, but every rule had to have its exception. So while the girls were trying to bury him and Breakdown - Khm, Tom Hammer - under questions, he shot Y/n a mischievous look. The next several seconds, three things happened:  
1)Knockout pointed to the window and gasped 'Look!';  
2)While Y/n's friends looked through the window, he turned to Breakdown and said 'You take the girl, I take her bags!";  
3)Both mechs in disguise grabbed their respective 'loot' and stormed off, while Y/n was on the verge of dying of laughter.

  
  
Later, she would text her friends an apology for their idiotic behavior. At the moment, while being thrown over Breakdowns shoulder like a sack of potatoes, she felt too amazing and alive to care.

  
  
They'd spend some time together, Y/n showing both mechs the places to go and things to see. She also gave Knockout back what was left of the money, so they could enjoy themselves while she was having dinner with her family. She did invite them to join and while Breakdown seemed genuinely interested, Knockout reminded her that he'd probably get bored just as easily as before, so better leave that for another time. The girl could see the logic in that.  
  
When at 23:13 she received an image from Knockout, she gagged on her own laughter. It was a selfie of the two in a bathroom stall of some kind with a caption 'Police at the door. Shame we won't see their faces when they'll break the door~ #fadeoutofexistence #fragthepolice'.

  
"Something of importance?" Megatron asked, looking up from his datapad. She'd been in his quarters for a solid hour already, keeping him company while he decided to work some more.  
Shaking her head and stifling her giggles, she typed out:

  
  
_What did you do? :'D_

  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Started a barfight. Nothing special._

  
  
_You provoke them, Breakdown hits them?_

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff: You know it._

  
  
_Is everyone alive at least?  
_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Doll, you insult us._  
_I-Break-Stuff: Yeah, we still wanna be able to return to your hometown, after all._  
_I-Break-Stuff: Maybe a couple broken noses, tho._

  
_You are agents of chaos, how could have I unleashed you on my poor hometown?_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: You didn't. We came there by ourselves~_

  
  
_So are you on the Nemesis already?_

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff: Yep._

  
  
_Feeling okay, both of you?_

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Doctor here. We're both fine. And I'm **very fine**._  
_I-Break-Stuff: You definitely are._

  
  
_Keep it out of the chat, you guys! Jk, go on, imagine I'm not here :D_

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff: Now who's the perv?:D_

  
  
_> :D_

  
  
  
Smirking, Y/n looked up from her phone only to lock eyes with the Decepticon lord who was raising an optic ridge, obviously wanting to know why she was smiling like an idiot.  
"Oh, it's just your medic and his assistant fooling around, nothing major," she explained and Megatron seemed to lose interest the moment he learned it concerned his subordinates. Y/n stretched while sitting, then looked over the warlord's datapads.  
"Anything I can help you with?"  
"Not presently," the steel-colored mech replied, then put away the datapad on the desk, "I believe I am done for today, anyway."  
"Should I go and let you rest, then?" the young woman stood up, walking up to the edge of the desk.  
"No. Stay," the warlord said, offering her his servo even though he didn't plan on bringing Y/n anywhere. She didn't hesitate to jump into the huge metal hand, however.  
From there, the two of them engaged in conversation as usual. This time it was Megatron telling her about some planets the Nemesis ended up visiting.

As, once more, Y/n found herself falling asleep on the warlord's chassis, she quietly wondered, already mostly asleep:  
"At this rate, I should bring over a pillow and covers..."  
The only response she heard was a deep-voiced sleepy hum.

 

 

*******

  
  
  
On the **30th** , Y/n decided to show Megatron her Halloween costume when the steel-colored mech came by to visit her in the evening.  
She was quite proud of the costume, actually. It wasn't anything overly complex, but it fit her nicely and didn't overcomplicate the simple role that was the witch. It was a floor-length pitch black dress with a slit down her left leg, with long wide decoratively tattered sleeves and the skirt bottom wastattered too. The v-cut of the dress revealed just enough to be enticing but not to cheapen the look with excessive vulgarity. Her h/c hair was left mostly as it was, except she added a bit of volume to it and curled a few locks to add a little chaos. A big, black witches hat with a royal red silk ribbon around it adorned her head. The same deep red color was also present on her lips, nails and high heels.  
Twirling in front of her mirror, the girl took a deep breath and just hoped the alien lord didn't die of laughter when he saw her dressed so peculiarly. After that, she walked out of the cabin.

  
Megatron didn't say anything at first, he just looked her over with his optic ridges raised slightly, and everything that was feminine and girlish in her screamed in panic. The dominant, rational part of her mind cut the panic off, reasoning that the warlord's stare was clearly an interested one to say the least.  
"So are you gonna laugh or...?" Y/n chuckled, putting a hand on her hip, chasing away the urge to go hide in a corner. The cybertronian looked her in the eyes as he offered her his servo.  
"Come," he said, his voice just a tinge deeper, "I would like to look at you more closely."  
Feeling her cheeks warming up from the slight but oh so noticeable change in the warlord's voice, the young woman obeyed, trying to relocate herself to his servo as gracefully as it was possible in high heels.

 

As soon as she did, he cybertronian raised her to his optic level.  
"I know it looks silly to you, but it is a costume after all," Y/n said as she twirled,"I'm a witch."  
"Hmm," Megatron raised an optic ridge, the corner of his metal lips raising up, "Aren't witches supposed to be decrepit and evil?"  
"So...you're saying I should go paint my face and arms to look ugly?" she smirked and so did the warlord.  
"That would seem to be more lore-accurate. But no, you look very fine the way you are."  
"Well thank you," she smiled and curtsied, quietly sighing in relief upon exhale. The mech nodded, a pleased expression on his face.  
"I do not understand and will not even try to understand human fashion, but, as far as I am concerned, the outfit fits you quite well and can be worn as an evening dress. If you forsake the stupid hat, that is."  
"Hey," Y/n chuckled and there was a rumble in the steel-colored chassis as Megatron did too, "Don't make me curse you!"  
"I am terrified," the warlord mocked, putting his free servo on his chassis above his spark in a dramatic matter. Y/n _adored_ when he was relaxed enough or pleased enough for jokes.

  
"So," the Decepticon lord said, looking over her, "The celebration will be held at your acquaintance's place?"  
"My childhood friend's, actually," Y/n corrected, smiling at the thought, "But he invited friends of friends and, by that virtue, a few of my former classmates and some other friends are going to be there."  
"Mhm," the cybertronian nodded, his tone becoming more thoughtful by the moment,"Anybody you're particularly awaiting to see?"  
"Oh, yes, of course," the girl honestly, innocently answered, her thoughts half with the mech, half at the party,"I haven't seen my childhood friend for a while, he's always traveling somewhere with his rich dad, then there are my classmates most of whom I didn't see since highschool prom, and my girlfriends who I usually see when I'm in town are also coming. Oh! And the DJ is the guy I know from way back, he's cool so I'll probably go up to him and chat. You already know I despise nightclubs, but a house party is something I'll gladly visit, especially if it means catching up with those people a little."

  
"I see," the Decepticon said, his optics now slightly narrowed, his voice interlaced with a hardness that didn't escape Y/n's attention, snapping her back to reality.  
"Everything alright?" she asked, worry creeping onto her features.  
"Why would it not be?" the warlord asked, raising an optic ridge, his somewhat aloof expression a clear sign that something was indeed wrong.  
"I can see I've somehow upset y-"  
"I am not upset," he interrupted her and that was a rare occurrence between them. In the whole time they have known each other, the times that Megatron had deliberately interrupted her could be counted on one hand. Y/n's eyes narrowed slightly.  
"Angered, then. Please tell me, how?"

  
They stared at each other for a long moment, e/c eyes looking into crimson optics. Both Y/n and Megatron were prideful creatures, so this could go either way. If the mech didn't answer her she wouldn't plead him to. Finally, the warlord spoke, his optics studying the girl's face closely:  
"Is there a _particular_ reason you keep returning to your hometown?"  
"Yes, several," she nodded, her gaze unwavering, "And you know them. My family. My friends. The familiar places I grew up in and love."  
Crimson optics narrowed a bit more.  
"I don't know what you want me to say," she confessed, "Are you angry at me for going to the party? Do you not approve? Talk to me. I can't read minds and I hate complicating issues that could be solved by talking."  
" _Not everything can be solved by talking,_ " the steel-colored mech answered harshly, his optics looking at her like they could burn her. The young woman pursed her lips, holding back the urge to snap back at him, instead opting to concentrate her attention on the fact that something was obviously troubling the warlord, causing him to act strangely. Holding back her prideful nature and the urge to put the mech in his place, she focused on her worry for him, on the goal to guide the conversation somewhere good.

Taking a quiet breath, she asked again:  
"Can _this_ be solved by talking? Megatron," she spoke softly, reasoning with the mech who seemed slightly taken aback but instantly calmed by her gentle tone as she called him by his name,"Megatron, you know me, you can tell me and I will understand. What is it?"  
The flame of his anger dying down, the warlord looked at her for a long moment then sighed, his optics now half-lidded.  
"It is nothing, Y/n. Just a tired mech's thoughts," he shook his head, making the girl just worry all the more.  
"Megatron, did something happen? If you want, I can stay here tommorrow if it means keeping you company."  
"Do you think me so pitiful that I would-" the warlord seemed like his anger flared up again, his expression defiant and his optics fierce, but he caught himself mid-sentence and stopped, just looking at her. Then, more calmly, he answered:  
"No, Y/n, nothing happened."  
The young woman nodded to that, but - needless to say - she still expected an answer. Noticing that, the steel-colored mech growled softly in annoyance, looking away from her for a moment, before resting his optics on her again.  
"Is there something you lack on the Nemesis? You do know that you can request anything you wish and I will make sure you will get it."

  
  
Huh? That...was not an answer. That was a very, very nice sentiment, though. But not an answer.

  
   
"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you, but you don't have to worry about whether I like it here or not - I do," Y/n decided to reply, hoping that if would bring her closer to the answer she sought.  
"I see," the warlord nodded, his voice still thoughtful, his optics still attentive,"Then tell me. Is there _someone particular_ you wish to see every time you leave the warship?"

  
  
Wait, didn't she answer that question already? Her family, friends- Oh. _Oooooh._ **OH.**  
The realization hit Y/n like a truck.  
Suddenly, everything made sense - the questions, the sudden change of mood, the uncharacteristic reluctance to answer straightforwardly. If this was a human she was dealing with, she would have thought of this immediately.  
Looking at the Decepticon lord, the girl tried her damnest not to let her lips form a grin...Well, that was a battle quickly lost. Aaand she was chuckling now. This was so silly, him of all 'people' asking her about that. Oh, the irony.

  
As the mech raised his optic ridges, she tried to calm herself, but treacherous giggles found their way into her speech:  
"N-no, there's noone _particular_ , as you called it. Hahah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really trying not to laugh, ha~ Megatron, you know me quite well by now. Don't you think that if there was some stupid human I longed for, I would have told you?"  
"I suppose," the mech answered and, judging by his expression, he was somewhere between acknowledging her logic and being mad at her for laughing at him. Finally successfully getting her voice under control, the young woman smiled gently:  
"I would have told you. My trips from the Nemesis are to see my friends and family and to do stupid human stuff."  
Seemingly believing her, the mech sighed again and it was so obviously a sigh of relief that both just stared at each other after that.

  
  
Should she? No, no. But she does have to say something not to let the silence linger. But-  
Ah, fuck it.

  
  
"My lord," she smiled and used a tone Megatron knew, a mischievous tone implying she was speaking in jest or teasing,"Were you, by any chance, jealous?"  
The Decepticon leader looked at her for a moment and then smirked, his usual confident demeanor returning.  
"Obviously not. There isn't a human worthy of you. And there isn't a human or cybertronian who could compare to me."  
"Well, I doubt the 'worthy' part, but yeah," Y/n chuckled, then locked eyes with the warlord,"No need to worry, I'll always be your faithful confidant."  
The pleased hum and smile Megatron gave her made her happy she had a layer of makeup on, because she could feel herself blushing in earnest.

  
   
She'd spend most of that night awake, turning from side to side on her bed and wondering. Was that jealousy- Was it a form a protectiveness? Or was it actual jealousy? Of what kind? Of someone not willing to lose her as a frequent conversation partner? Or someone who was possessive of someone he considered his own-  
  
_Whoa there,_ _Y/n,_ the rational part of her mind argued, let's not jump to conclusions. If it _wasn't_ a huge alien warlord she had an illogical crush on, if this was just a human guy, then, based on all the signs so far...  
_She gave up._  
Between talking to her softly, touching her carefully, letting her sleep on his chassis and now this...If she was right, and by now she was fairly sure she was, then thank both human and cybertronian gods.  
And, human and cybertronian gods, help her.

  
Anyway, there wasn't much more she could do at this time. Best wait and see how things will turn out.  
  


 

*******

 

  
  
It was the **31st of October** and Y/n had just entered her friend's house.

What her childhood friend knew how to do was throw parties. The whole spacious livingroom was turned into a pirate ship, with plastic skeleton-pirates standing at the walls in various poses or hanging out near the fruit punch station. There was a dance floor in one corner, Halloween games in the other, a table with all kinds of food and drink in the third and a huge couch to just hang out in the fourth. There was more than enough space in the center of the huge room for people to just dance or stand and chat too. The music was loud, but not loud enough not to hear everyone, that was more of the case near the dance floor, where all the speakers were located.

  
Then, she spotted Arthur. And he spotted her. And both of them ran to each other and hugged like they didn't see each other for years. Well, it has actually been almost a year. Arthur was a guy she knew since she was half a year old and since he was born - he was, for all intents and purposes, her brother in all ways but blood. Her spoiled, mischievous, adventurous pervert of a brother. Currently in a pirate captain costume.  
"Look at you!" the young man exclaimed as he looked her over, "If you get fat after managing to get _this_ bod, I'll seriously kill you! But you have to try the donuts, though, I had them made in this one bakery exactly the way I like them."  
"So you don't want me to get fat, but you want to feed me donuts?" Y/n smirked as she took her arms off the guy's neck,"You got taller again, didn't you?"  
" _And_ more muscular," the young man boasted and Y/n shrugged.  
"Didn't notice that."  
"Why do you hate me so much?" Arthur asked, discouraged, and they both laughed the next second. After that, the host put his hands on her shoulders and smiled a big, wide smile she knew from childhood, "You look amazing, seriously. Enjoy yourself. I'll come over to you every chance I have, and maybe you'll even run into Angela, my current GF. She's...somewhere here. She's a pirate princess."  
"Wait, weren't you with Inga just two months ago?" Y/n narrowed her eyes, trying to sound stern, but when Arthur flashed her an innocent smile she couldn't help but shake her head and playfully slap him on the shoulder, minding her now enhanced strength,"You dog."  
"It's all because you're not my girl, you'd be able to keep my attention for sure," the playboy pouted and the young woman poked his cheek with her index finger, smiling.  
"Noone can keep your attention, you spoiled brat."  
"You know you love me."  
"I loved you even before you learned that girls don't have cooties," Y/n quipped and Arthur chuckled.  
"So are those your friends over there?" he asked as he nodded to Y/n's three girlfriends giggling beside the table with drinks and two ~~gay aliens~~ guys standing beside them.  
"Yep," Y/n nodded,"The girls you know - and don't you even _think_ about it - and the guys are my new friends. The vampire is Louis, with a 's' on the end. The Van Hellsing is Tom. They're real cool guys."  
"Okay, nice," her friend nodded right before someone from the crowd called out for him, "Okay then, I have to go, but I'll find you later. Go have fun, witch."  
"Right back at you, Jack Sparrow," Y/n chuckled.  
"That's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow!" Arthur reminded as he ran past her and disappeared into the crowd.

  
  
"Well well, wasn't that a heartfelt reunion?~" Knockout said right behind her and she flinched. God, she wasn't used to people being able to get the drop on her, she usually felt their presence.  
"Well, yeah," the girl turned to face the sexy Italian vampire and smiled,"That was Arthur."  
"So I thought," the medic smirked, "So you ready to show me how humans party?"  
"Eeh," Y/n chuckled awkwardly,"I usually just go around and chat to people I know. But you can go play games, or dance, or take part in the costume contest, I guess. Oh, and there's a photographer Arthur invited, so if you can find him-"

  
Aaand, Knockout was gone, already searching for the human with the professional camera. Who would have doubted?

  
  
The event went by smoothly, she got to meet everyone she wanted to, her DJ friend took a couple of her song requests that she actually danced to and it was Knockout and Breakdown who dragged her into posing for the photographer and participating in a few drinking games, even if the shots didn't do anything for either the mechs or -mostly - for her.  
Then there was karaoke. And, be damned it all, it was the host of the event who searched her out and literally carried her in his arms to the improvised stage while she was whining and calling out for her friends to help her. Those traitors didn't move a muscle, except for smiling like the backstabbers they were.  
But when Arthur put on a song she actually knew(because he was well aware she wasn't too well versed in modern pop music), she decided it wasn't that bad. It was a 2000s song they used to sing all the time, so she at least didn't have a panic attack when she had to sing. And Arthur was there by her side, that helped too.  
Y/n then dragged Knockout out onto stage and the guy didn't get off there for a solid half an hour. Not that anyone was against that as the sexy doctor knew how to put on a show, charming guests of all genders.  
Eventually, however, he left the stage and was replaced by obligatory tipsy girls who wanted to sing some pop songs.  
Then, of course, Knockout got bored of the humans and he and Breakdown left to cause some trouble. Y/n could do nothing but hope that the two heeded her words and went to another town - better, another state - to do that.

 

All in all, it was a fun night but around the time everybody started getting too drunk and too stupid, Y/n left the party, deciding to end it on a high note. As she threw off her hat and dress, stepped out of her heels and slipped under the covers, the young woman was fairly certain that her quota of social interaction with humans was filled for the near future. Time to return to her cosy life of socializing with aliens, watching YouTube and playing games.

 

 

*******

 

 

It's the morning of the **1st of November.**

  
  
The Decepticon lord didn't sleep this night, staying up to get some work done, following up some leads and reading minor reports.  
He wasn't usually a fan of such work, normally delegating it to Soundwave or Starscream but he didn't feel like he wanted to recharge either, so work it was.  
By now, he was used to Y/n being able to come over and keep him company in the evenings, especially in those that felt like they were going to be sleepless ones. More often than not her presence would get him in a relaxed enough mood to want to go and recharge after all. All the better if she was there with him, her small body on his chassis somehow working better at pacifying him than a medic's injection. But this night the girl returned at about 4 AM, so the Decepticon lord let her have her rest.

  
  
How does he know when she returned?  
Megatron knows everything he wants to know about what goes on on the warship and beyond. He has the best Communications Officer/Spymaster, after all.

  
  
Y/n had spent the evening and night with her friends at a human party, celebrating All Hallows Eve.  
She looked beautiful. She always did. Megatron gave up on arguing with himself about that. There was just... _something_ about her, the way her e/c eyes shined, the way her h/c hair framed her face. But there was a silly, playful charm to her appearance for the Halloween night that made him envy the humans who got to spend time with her during the party.  
Megatron almost regretted not coming up with a reason and keeping her on board, just for himself. But he was not that pitiful. Not that shallow. He was a proud mech and, if not out of respect for the young human's wishes then out of his own sense of self-esteem, he wouldn't stoop so low as to feign a reason for her to miss a night she was so looking forward to. He could manage an evening without her company.  
So he let her go have fun, her words that there wasn't some stupid special human in her life keeping him calm throughout the night.  
He also was aware how dire his situation was if he was bothered by things like that. He wondered how long it would take for this _infatuation_ with the human to either pass...or become much worse. Because he could feel that it was becoming worse.  
With each of Y/n's smiles, with each of her chuckles, each of his own smirks and each of his silent musings and his lingering gazes, it became worse. The situation was made even direr by the fact that he was certain that the human suspected. She suspected and she even sometimes used it to her advantage. And he gladly obliged - like a fool, like a naive recently onlined bot, like someone high on feelings of l- _affection._  
This was **so** bad. It felt like a deadly sickness was overtaking him. Yes, a deadly sickness, but worse. Because it actually felt good in ways the warlord wouldn't want to even begin to try and describe. 

  
  
It was surprising to him when there was a signal from his door around the time when he usually got up(on orbital cycles that he actually recharged, that is). Standing up from his chair, he walks towards the door, half-expecting it to be Y/n, half-reasoning with himself that it has been only five hours since she got back.

 

  
The door slides open.

 

  
"So I brought you that tea you liked..."  
Megatron can't help but smile, thankful that no one else is around to see it. There she stands, small and fragile and with a familiar kind smile on her lips, a cup of something hot in her hands while an Energon cube stands beside her.  
"Blue and glowing," he completes their little inside joke with a thoughtful chuckle as he kneels and lets the young woman onto his servo. He's a smart mech and he knows Y/n's personality well enough by now. He knows this act is obviously an attempt to soothe his nerves and his doubts after their talk the day before yesterday.  
But Primus damn it all if the attempt isn't successful.

  
  
"I wonder who keeps helping you deliver this to my door," Megatron muses as he takes the cube of hot Energon into his free servo and rises.  
"Usually terrified Vehicons who were told that it was your order in the first place," Y/n smiles and shrugs innocently and he _adores_ everything about this situation,"Do you have a minute for a brief morning tea-time?"  
He nods and he wants to tell her that she should consider not asking something like that, as he's the Master of this ship and his word here is law, so unless it's important enough everybody else can wait and he'll always have time if it involves her. Fortunately, he stops himself before he makes such see-through statements and just takes her to his quarters, his mood ten times better than it was just a couple of minutes ago.

  
The door slides shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That phrase about Breakdown's chassis being 'built to withstand hellfire itself', that was a nod to an amazing story by bexacaust. It's sad and heartshattering, but it's beautiful: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5350736 (Pshh, don't forget to leave kudos and comments there. If you want to, that is.)
> 
> Next up, Part 2!
> 
> -Streetracing  
> -Knockout's invention  
> -Megatron  
> -Some insight into the scarlet doctor's work ethic  
> -Breakdown being adorable  
> -Soundwave  
> -MORE illegal street racing  
> -MORE Megatron
> 
> ________________OH! ALSO!_____________________
> 
> So Valentine's day is coming and I wanted to ask if any of you are interested in little Autobot and Decepticon Valentines day Reader-insert stories? It'll be a separate work and the chapters won't be long, but I'll try to write something with the main 'Bots and 'Cons. And just comment if you want someone like idk Smokescreen or Predaking making an appearance, so I know who not to forget :D


	25. Part Of The Crew (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days go by, Y/n continues to interact with the bots aboard the Nemesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly 'friendship' chapter. Next one deals entirely with Megatron;DD But this one also has moments with the Big Bot.  
> Also, I love TF memes so much(Warning, creepy KO edition):  
> http://orig06.deviantart.net/3dc5/f/2012/110/6/9/knockout_transformers_by_pictures_crazy-d4x07n1.jpg  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cc/f6/2b/ccf62bada40d9c44453773184be6715d.jpg  
> http://orig00.deviantart.net/f42a/f/2013/048/1/7/knockout_the_killer_by_nintendotransformer-d5vbi8p.jpg

 

The days from the **2nd 'till the 5th of November** were normal, peaceful ones. Y/n enjoyed the quiet time and the usual routine.  
Wake up, have breakfast with sometimes somebot(usually Steve or/and his friends) visiting her, then go visit Soundwave and Laserbeak, after that catch up with the dynamic duo in the medbay, then either have some alone time in the cabin, get trapped in the medbay 'till nightfall or spend the evening with the Decepticon lord.  
She noticed something about the last thing, too. While the warlord was never explicitly against her being in his servo, over the time he - subconsciously or not - took every opportunity for her to stay there. Not on his desk, not on a datapad shelf - in his servo or on his shoulder, even if they were just in his quarters, talking.  
  
And it felt like something personal, this effort to prolong tactile contact on the usually stern and proud warlord's part. And it made Y/n feel all happy and warm. She liked to be as close to him as possible, too, after all.

  
  
On the evening of the **6th,** she received a text from Knockout:  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: We're going racing today, doll. Get ready, I'll be there in ~3 breems to pick you up._

  
Three breems. That's approximately 25 minutes. Better hurry, then.

  
  
"Well, doll, if I knew you would turn out to be such a nice accessory, I would have given you my prize money earlier," Knockout chuckled as she walked out of the cabin.  
"Thanks. And 'accessory'? Hoho, low blow, doctor," the young woman smirked, happy that the usually picky mech liked the look. She went with black skinny jeans, a black top,  deep red heels and a matching dark-red leather jacket. A gold neckerchief and nail polish were her homage to Knockout's gold parts and tied the whole look nicely together.  
"Well, aren't you? You sure as Pit won't be actually driving," the medic teased as he looked her over while she came closer to him. The girl, for some reason, imagined being a cute charm on an oversized cybertronian phone, complete with a little bell and all.  
"Okay, okay, I'm there to have fun and be your human accessory," she smirked and rolled her eyes.  
"No, doll," Knockout chuckled, his tone a bit warmer,"You're there to have fun and cheer me on as we leave stupid humans far, far behind."  
"I like that version better," Y/n nodded appreciatively and grinned.

  
The doctor gave her a mischievous look and transformed, opening the door to the driver's seat invitingly. Not quite knowing what to expect, but knowing it will be an adventure, Y/n giddily climbed in and threw something on the passenger's seat.  
"And what's that supposed to be?" the sportscar inquired.  
"Don't wanna be accidentally featured in a video somewhere."  
"Aw, but it will hide your face."  
"That's the point. Besides, _you're_ the star of the show, I'm just a friend cheering you on. The spotlight must be on you."  
"Doll, flattery will get you _everywhere_ ," the medic all but purred and drove out of the room.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
This night was good, this night had excitement and ardor in the air. This was a good night, Harry thought. His experience of 3 years told him that the race would be good, there was just something in the atmosphere.  
Harry was the de-facto bookmaker of this whole affair. He wasn't wildly rich himself, but his friends were, so that's where he found his niche. The clique knew Harry was an honest guy, and they needed one to keep track of the bets. So here he was, surveying the cars and people that stood at this seemingly unimportant part of the highway.  
Glitz and glamor, swagger and bloated ego as the eye could see. Rich people, ready to show off their cars and their skills - this clique's members were too egocentric to allow anyone subpar in these races. No one here wanted an easy win or a party pooper who would drive their car off the road at the first turn and need an ambulance.  
So there they were - rich, self-confident people who had thousands of dollars to throw away. Guys and girls, currently walking around - flirting, boasting, challenging while music from some car blasted loudly. Harry was a guy who liked girls, he liked girls very much, and - damn - were there girls here. From badass racer girls to arm candy bimbos, girls of almost any sort one would normally fantasize about.

  
Harry was pulled from his thoughts and his girl-watching when he heard a rumble of another sportscar arriving. By the way how many of the people present reacted, it had to be someone who had left an impression at some point.  
Turning to look himself, the bookie almost dropped his crocodile leatherbound notepad.

  
  
It was _that_ car. _That_ red Aston Martin.

  
  
The car has been seen by them once, and that time it won by a longshot. Whoever drove it had amazing reflexes or was a fucking robot, because the things Harry saw from dashcam footage were phenomenal.  
'Whoever' - because nobody ever saw the driver walk out of the car and the windows were heavily tinted the last time the sportscar appeared.

  
  
But not this time.  
This time, the windows were normal and as the Aston Martin stopped, the driver's door opened and a-

  
  
"Holy shit, it's a girl!" Flash McFarlen, his former classmate, exclaimed and the people murmured among themselves, eyeing the new arrival up and down.

  
  
_Clack-clack-clack-clack._  
  
Heels measured the road in rhythmic, even steps as the woman approached. Her hips swayed enticingly yet not vulgarly as she walked. Her back was straight, her head was held high as whispers surrounded her. Her h/c hair shined and shimmered in the headlights of all the cars nearby, framing her mask-covered face. It was a simple, white full-face porcelain mask, its lips colored crimson as well as the same color painting a sort of cat-eye on its eyelids. Three golden dots made an arch under her right eye and the moment he saw those dots up-close, Harry realized that the newcomer was standing right in front of him now.  
   
"Hello there. This isn't a Venetian carnival," the young man managed to find his confident, flirty tone, "But I'll be your dance partner if you wanna."

  
  
Perfect pick up line. Good job, Harry.

 

  
He heard a soft chuckle - his pick up line was _so_ successful - and the woman raised a hand, grabbing the bottom of her mask and lifting it just slightly, just enough for him to see her bottom lip.  
  
"And good evening to you too. I believe you are the one to speak to about bets."  
Nice, now he could add the 'classy one' to the roster of girls present.

  
  
"That would be me, yes," he turned his A-game on and smiled charmingly, making an effort to make his voice sound smooth and a bit lower. He really wanted to see how the girl looked like without the whole masquerade - preferably later and in his bedroom.  
"Good. Then I would like to participate and bet a small sum of a five hundred dollars on myself."  
A few 'whoo's and 'yeeah's were heard. These particular rich kids liked a challenge and they liked when someone was 'on the level'. Monetary level.  
"So this time I won't have to leave the money on the car's hood, right?" he quipped, his eyes wandering, appreciating the view,"You're so shy that even when you come out of the car you wear a mask?"  
The girl chuckled and he liked those lips of hers.  
"Can't risk my Daddy finding out I'm dabbling in such dangerous things~"  
Wait, did she mean her dad or a _daddy_?

  
  
Then, the girl suddenly turned to face Flash who just started making his way towards her, slightly catching the jock off guard.  
"So, ugh, what makes you think you can just waltz in here after the shit you pulled?" he demanded as he stopped in his tracks momentarily.  
  
The girl seemingly looked over the broad shouldered guy and shrugged.  
"You have to be more specific, I do a lot of bad things," she smirked and Harry could see Flash's ears becoming redder as he came up to the young woman and his huge shadow covered her completely as he towered over her.  
"You know. Last time. What kind of shit was that?"  
"Maybe it's just you aren't as good at driving as you thought?" the girl inquired, seemingly unimpressed, and some 'Ooooh!'s followed from the crowd.  
"That a challenge?" the racer asked, ardor in his eyes.  
"It is," the woman nodded. Now pumped, Flash rummaged through his pockets and took out his wallet.  
"A fiver, you said? Think Daddy will be mad if you lose 500 more?"  
"I don't know. Will _your_ daddy be mad that you lost that much?"  
Harry snickered but promptly shut up after Flash glared at him. The jock then turned to everyone present and announced:  
"Well okay everybody, let's get this started already! I'll pay for a week's worth of beer to everyone who comes to the finish line before this little masquerade princess over here!"  
As people started piling up with the money, Harry quickly asked the mysterious girl after she gave him the cash:  
"Care to give me a name to write you down under? Last time I wrote you down by your licence plate, miss 'JOFY 892'."  
"Knockout," she answered, smiling and putting her mask back on fully before taking a few steps back, turning around and walking to her car.  
"Oh you certainly are, babe," the bookie smirked and began collecting bets.

  
  
...

  
  
The door slammed shut.

  
"Y/n~"  
"Not. A. Word. Knockout," the girl threw her head back and took a deep breath, "Gods, how I hate all that shallow swagger, if you only knew."  
"You blended in nicely, who knew you were such an actress~"  
"Oh stop sounding so smug, I hated _everything_ about it," Y/n sighed and rolled her eyes behind the mask, "I hate crowds, especially ones where I'm being watched by judgemental spoiled rich kids who place nothing higher than stupid wars over who's cooler. Mhh!"  
Leaning into the seat, the young woman took another deep breath and looked over the people gathered there. Not her crowd, not in the least. Her people were nerds, or fun adventurous people, or just good-natured people in general. She had quite a few friends who weren't introverts like her at all, but they were good and funny and nice to hang around with. This- _These_ were the type of people that she hated since highschool. Narcissistic, and not even in a charming way like Knockout. Trying to convince everyone they were the _creme de la creme_ when in reality no high-class manners or principles were in sight and the routine was ganging up on people who were easy prey or showed anything less than absolute self-confidence.  
"Hmph," Y/n rolled her eyes again, "Hope the ride will be worth that little trip because I'll be seriously considering whether I should ever subject myself to something similar."  
"Whiny much?" the scarlet mech chuckled and the girl sighed in defeat,"I think I've never seen you so irritated."  
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. I think I mostly got it out of my system now."  
"Super. But, believe me, it is worth it, doll," the doctor assured her and she found it in her to smile, her friend's company improving her mood drastically.

 

"By the way, by Daddy, did you mean Lord Megatron?"

  
Thank Primus she wasn't drinking anything, otherwise she would have choked on her drink right that instant.  
"Wha-?!"  
"Well, he is the Big Scary Leader type, so I figured you meant him."  
"Oh my god, hahah," Y/n gasped and laughed harder than she probably should have,"No, I didn't even think of that! I just went with a streetracing 'rich kid' or 'trophy wife' explanation for the mask!"  
"You're no fun," the medic jokingly chided her as she giggled.  
"Well it certainly fits, of course, so you can go with that," Y/n chuckled, happy that the mech couldn't see her face as a blush crept onto her cheeks. The doctor seemed proud of himself as he hummed.  
"By the way, doll, I heard you used my designation for the race."  
"Well obviously," the young woman smirked,"As I said, this is your show."  
"I like you more and more, you smart little human."  
"Oh, I'm overjoyed."

 

  
  
In the end, was the trip worth it?  
  
  
**HELL. YES.**  
  
The second the obligatory Flag Girl brought the two checkered flags down, Y/n knew she was in for an experience.  
As Knockout was as flashy at showing off his skills as possible, Y/n was left with the only option of holding onto the steering wheel for dear life and yelping occasionally in both fear and utter adrenaline-filled delight. And in between that, laughing at the mech's comments both about his unfortunate rivals and about her reactions.  
Every car passed, every turn made, every maneuver executed - Knockout was brilliant at it, and the more she got into it, the more she got to glimpse into the red mech's own excitement at proving he was the best and doing so with as much style as possible.

  
  
She'd end up excitedly retelling the experience to Breakdown later in the medbay, the blue mech chuckling understandingly and Knockout being as satisfied as a metaphorical cat that got its cream.

 

*******

  
  
On the **7th of November** , she came by the medbay in the morning per Knockout's insistence only for the scarlet mech to present her with...some strange metal backpack-looking thing?

  
"Okay...What is it?" she looked at the device in confusion as she held it in her hands.  
"Put it on," Knockout encouraged, his red eyes glowing in almost eerie curiosity.  
Looking at the medic, then back at his strange invention, the young woman cautiously put the device on, realising that the 'backpack' was significantly heavy and that if she was given this half a year ago she probably wouldn't be able to wear it without her back starting to ache immediately. Now, however, she was perfectly okay with its weight but wondered still what it was.

  
  
Then, something metal slid down her spine and it felt like suddenly two pairs of larger ribs clasped around her, above her own ribs.  
Gasping in surprise, the girl looked down at the 'ribs' that were now non-so-gently hugging her torso.

  
"Knockout-!" she looked at the mech in panic while Breakdown looked her over in worry.  
"See, it fits snugly!" the medic hummed in satisfaction, his optics studying her,"Now turn around for me."  
"What the _hell_ is this, Knockout, a torture device?" the girl demanded, yet complied, turning around to show the red mech her back while simultaniously reaching back and feeling the metal along her spine with her hand. It seemed like it consisted of some kind of metal vertebrae, much like a second spine.  
"Mhm, mhm, good~" the doctor cooed,"See, Breakdown, I told you I got the measurements right."  
The blue mech gave his partner an unimpressed look, but the latter was already fiddling with a datapad.  
"Okay, doll, get ready."  
"Get ready for wha-Hah! Woah!" she shrieked and gasped as the 'backpack' suddenly did something, the force of it throwing her forward, then back, then made her almost lose her balance. Stretching out her arms, the young woman barely managed not to fall, then looked back what the hell caused-

  
  
Wings.  
More like a metal base for ones, like someone was going to make a bird or angel sculpture and this was the first step of it. Though, while normal bird wings had three main parts of the wing, she saw only two metal 'bones' with various technology around them and no sign of feathers or bat-like bony phalanges. She suddenly felt like she had some giant chicklen's bones on her back.

  
"Shocked speechless?~" Knockout suggested and that snapped her out of her surprised state. Looking at the medic, Y/n raised an eyebrow.  
"I...eh, you could say that. Are you planning on building something for me to glide down with?"  
"Building?" the medic gasped, seemingly apalled and insulted,"I already did!"  
"Ehh, doc, she kinda didn't see Phase two, so of course she thinks that's all," Breakdown reminded and Knockout swapped his anger for curiosity while Y/n felt more and more nervous. Phase two?

  
"Yes, of course," the red mech leaned closer to her and pressed something on his datapad again. Squeezing her eyes shut and bracing for whatever came next, Y/n found out that this time, it was just a strange...brush of wind(?) that happened. Opening her eyes, she looked back, immediately gasping.  
The 'metal bones' now projected down what could only be decribed as bluish, see-through holographic...screens? Barriers? Whatever it was, they were in a form that made the whole construction look like actual wings and it was precisely that moment when Y/n started freaking out and fangirling.  
"Knockout, you made me _wings!_ "  
"I did," the medic smugly confirmed, the awe in her eyes only fueling his narcissims no doubt,"Me and Breakdown, we decided that we grew tired of always having to bend down to pick you up-"  
" _Knockout_ got tired, I was fine," Breakdown informed flatly, but there was no stopping the crimson mech now.  
"So I came up with an idea of making you a pair of these. They still need touching-up in the way they look, but they're already fully functional."  
"... _How?_ " Y/n asked as she twirled in front of a huge mirror the blue mech took into his gigantic hand and held for her," These are definitely not based on seeker wings, cybertronians fly differently! This- This is this is organic design!"  
"It is~" Knockout purred, glad he had made an impression,"I based it on birds, but I made the wings have two main joint points, not three, as it would be more familiar to you, like having an extra pair of arms. Well, without hands. You get it."  
"And- And these?" the girl asked softly, carefully touching the bluish see-through part, a familiar tingle running through her hand, "Thingling...Is this Energon?!"  
Knockout smiled widely and even Breakdown seemed to get into how excited Y/n was becoming with each passing moment.  
"I used the same principle our hover tech has, like the hovering minecarts, just scaled down to your needs. You don't plan on weighing more than 350 kilograms, are you?"  
"This is so amazing," Y/n looked at both mechs,"I can't even imagine how I can repay you for something like this. How do the controls work?"  
"Simple, actually," Knockout turned around, took a pair of small forceps in his servo and then picked up something with them, offering it Y/n.  
"This is work of the highest caliber," he told her, not passing up a chance to boast,"I doubt any other medic can do such delicate things and so well."  
"Okay...But what is it?" Y/n chuckled as she looked at the device in her hands. It was a pecuiliar thing made of metal and resin and the girl didn't have anything she could confidently compare it to. Closest she came was a Facehugger from Aliens, but the size of her hand and without a tail. She had to admit, even if Knockout was the smallest-framed mech on the ship, it was probably a challenge for him, working on something so distinctly human-sized. Unless...

  
"Wait, did you use holoforms to work on this?" she asked and Breakdown gave a victorious laugh.  
"Ha, told you she'd think of it!"  
"Well I _obviously_ could have managed without," the red mech crossed his arms,"But it would be stupid not to. Anyway, that is a control device. You place it at the back of your neck, it connects to your brainwaves via EM impulses and you can control the wings like you would your arms and the holomatter parts are adjustable enough to serve as wing tips. But no constant flapping like you're a chicken, remember, _hover_ -tech."  
"This is also all theory a this point," Breakdown reminded with a sigh. It seemed that he was the level-headed one while Knockout was playing mad scientist,"It could also electrocute you."  
"Well, she heals superfast, doesn't she?" the medic argued,"So nothing major if there'll be a couple of bumps on the road at first."  
"Gee, Knockout, thanks, _friend,_ " Y/n said, the sarcasm dripping from every letter.  
"Oh don't be so dramatic. I made this for you," the mech pointed out, annoyed, "So put it on and let's see how it works!"  
Pursing her lips, the young woman looked at the device in her hands. If she still were her old self, from half a year ago, never would she ever even consider to attach that thing to her spine and skull. She could have ended up paralyzed for life or killed. Now, however...  
Now she just wanted to fly.  
  
She took a deep breath and, with Knockout's impatient encouragements and Breakdown's assurances that everything will be fine, attached the device to the back of her neck.  
...  
"Well, I did it. Nothing's happening."  
"Try thinking 'up', imagine yourself lifting off the table," Knockout instructed, impatient.  
She did just that and-

  
  
  
Whoosh- _Crack!!_

  
  
  
As her body fell into Breakdown's servos from the ceiling like a sparrow that had crashed into a window and Knockout made a high-piched sound and passed out, the blue mech wondered why everyone on this ship was an idiot.

  
  
  
*******

  
  
On the **8th** , they resumed testing. This time, the sensitivity of the control device was lowered but that still didn't stop Y/n from breaking limbs upon impact with various things.  
This time, however, Knockout was all smirks and jokes when that happened, having previously already experienced his dose of shock and mortification over possibly killing the girl and gotten over it.  
The two mechs, however, were still very mindful of her and under jokes and quips, Y/n could see the nervousness in their optics each time a limb was sticking out stragely after a crash.If she didn't want to fly so badly, she would have quit that day. She hated pain and inflicting it on herself was stupid... _Would_ have been stupid if she wasn't learning to _fly._ Things being as they were, she was glad she had always appreciated dark and medical humor, because that helped her throughout the ordeal.  
 

  
  
*******

  
  
On the **9th of November** she was in the medbay again.  
They've made progress, however. She wasn't suddenly gaining/losing altitude anymore and her flying was stable unless she decided to do any maneuvers.  
Knockout also made use of the knowledge that Enegron seemed to somehow boost her abilities, now setting her next to a cube of it or encouraging her to touch it more while the Energon-powered wings remained active. It seemed to actually hasten her healing a bit, but this was also the time when she grew more and more sure that the red mech seemed desensitized to her pain and more interested in his little project.  
By this point, she wondered if she had suddenly decided to quit if he would have forced her. She wanted to think that he wouldn't but the eerie glow in his optics she sometimes caught chipped away at her trust in her alien friend. Breakdown was there to assist her as much as he could, but she could see that even he wasn't happy with his partner.

  
An unfortunate maneuver got her shoulder dislocated(the injury subcoonsciously reminding her of her nightmarish experience with Starscream) and as Knockout sighed in annoyance, Y/n gave him a glare.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, does my pain annoy you, _doctor?_ "  
"Well _sorry,"_ the medic snapped back at her, crimson optics full of exasperation and irritation, "But stellar cycles upon stellar cycles of treating - ultimately _uselessly_ treating - everybody in this stupid affair of a war made me a little thick-armored for that sort of thing. It's more fun being an inventor, really, what use is there-"  
Knockout stopped, as if snapping awake, and looked at Y/n, his optics thoughtful, his expression becoming more upset by the second. Giving her a grimace that could only be described as 'bitchy', he said:  
"Just...We're done for today. Tomorrow too. Take a break," the red mech then sighed and turned from her, walking towards the desk where various medical tools were."You can actually forget about this whole affair. Hate me all you want."

  
  
Still angry at the medic but nontheless worried about his change of mood, Y/n gave Breakdown a glance. Should she go? Stay? Talk? Keep quiet?  
The blue mech nodded towards the doctor with an expression that said 'Go on' and Y/n trusted his judgement. Jumping off the table, gliding down on her wings and then increasing altitude again, she landed on the desk, near Knockout's servo, earning a glance from the mech.

  
"What?" he asked with a sigh, his optics no longer burning holes in Y/n but rather shining a bit more dully compared to their usual vibrant color.  
He was acting like a dick previously, sure, Y/n thought. But she could call him out on that a bit later, when he wasn't looking like that, she decided.  
"Knockout, I don't hate you. I'm angry at how you don't seem to care whether I'm hurt or not, but-"  
"It's not 'not caring', it's 'not thinking about it'!" the medic exclaimed," _Primus,_ Y/n, except for Breakdown, I don't care about who suffers on this ship. They bring them in, I patch them up, it never ends, it's a pointless, thankless, neverending job..."  
The mech hanged his head, sighting.  
"The fact that I thought, for an astrosecond, that I killed you and it rebooted my systems- I think after that I just fell back into a familiar defensive reaction of not thinking of your injuries as your pain. It's my 'doctor thing'. It's easier not to think of how human, how _absurdly_ fragile and easily pained you are."  
It was unsettling to see Knockout like this, his usual confident, cocky and playful attitude replaced by this gloomy one made Y/n's heart ache for him. The explanation he gave was also just- just _there,_ no quips or flirty tone changes, no smirks or self-flattery. It was just...given to her, like Knockout didn't quite know what to do with the information.

  
"Hey," she softly called out to the mech as she placed her small hands on his servo,"I really don't hate you. And I get it now. But what you do, either as a brilliant doctor or a slightly mad but definitely talented scientist, it's not pointless."  
The crimson mech raised his head to look at her, his face still joyless but his optics shining a bit brighter, more like they usually did.  
"And if you ever need to hear someone being thankful," the young woman smiled warmly and patted the digits under her hands affectionately, "Then look no further than me or Breakdown. We have lots to thank you for. Well, Breakdown would no doubt win in a comparison match for how much exactly, but I matter too, damn it."  
The medic looked at her for a moment, then, like a ray of light in a cloudy day, he chuckled quietly.  
"Oh really? And what is it, apart from all of your recent injuries, you want to thank me for?" the mech mused and Y/n's smile grew wider.  
"Well, firstly, thanks for existing. The universe needs more beauty, you know~" she cooed playfully and _that_ got the medic laughing.  
"Hah, Y/n, doll, you know flattery is a quick way to my spark."  
"Well she's not lyin'," Breakdown said as he walked up to them and put a huge arm around the doctor's shoulders,"You _are_ impossibly lovely."  
"Oh, there you go, both of you," Knockout chuckled, rolling his optics, but everything in his behavio -, from his voice to his body language - said that they were succeeding to bringing his usual self back.  
"He's also the best racer on this planet," Y/n smiled slyly at the mechs and Breakdown immediately caught on.  
"On others too. Knockout here's also a genius doctor."  
"Oh, I've had the chance to see that with my own eyes. But have you seen my wings? His work."  
_"You two-"_  
"Beautiful work. You should have seen the things he came up with throughout the years. But look at his optics-"  
"Absolutely irresistable."  
"I get it, I get it, you two adore me," the red mech chuckled as he leaned into his partner's embrace and slightly moved his digits so that he was resting two of them on the sitting human's lap. Both Y/n and the doctor's assistant looked at each other in relief.

  
  
As the mood got just so that Y/n decided to leave the two mechs alone, Knockout called out to her as she was in the doorway.  
"I still meant it about that break, doll. You deserve it."  
"Okay, got it," she nodded, looking back at the thwo mechs.  
"And Y/n?"  
"Hm?"  
"Get enough rest. Spoil yourself. Doctor's orders."  
There was a pause where the medic and the human looked at each other, a wordless question of 'Are we really good?' lingering in the air before Y/n gave her answer in a form of a warm smile.  
"Got it. My doctor's the best, after all."

  
  
That day was the first time Y/n got such a heart-to-heart with Knockout. It would also be the only one for years to come. The Nemesis' doctor was an exceptional actor and was good at brushing negative stuff away from himself, so it may have been a lucky alignment of stars that Y/n got a glimpse of the things that actually were able to get to him.  
Nevertheless, it seemed that after that day the medic seemed less reluctant to let himself worry about her wellbeing and was generally more relaxed around the girl, as was Breakdown. Laughs were shared more easily, stories told more readily.  
The Nemesis was a very 'Don't ask-Don't tell' place, that much Y/n had already learned by now, but it was nice knowing that there were mechs who willingly shared their stories with her.

 

*******

 

 

On the **10th of November** it was glorious to wake up and realize that the whole day wouldn't include breaking or dislocationg anything. Sure, Y/n was motivated to be able to fly in a way that would be considered 'not lame', but a break was in order.

  
The young woman spent almost two hours just lying in bed, relishing in the feeling of soft, warm covers hugging her body while she browsed the net from her laptop.  
She then enjoyed some cereal with milk and a cup of tea for breakfast, bringing out the pretty English cup she used when she wanted to feel a bit more fancy. Steve came by briefly, filling her in on the news from the Vehicon barracks. Apparently, there were rumors(if you could call whispers between Steve and Bob that) that Neil was so protective of Kody not just because the latter was the youngest, but because the mining supervisor was fond of him.  
"...If you know what I mean," her guardian said as he moved his arm as if he was going to nudge her with his huge elbow.  
It took much for Y/n not to answer with a sarcastic 'You think?', instead opting in favor of just chuckling. Whether it was the elusive 'woman's intuition' her girlfriends liked to reference so much or plain old observation skills, she figured that out a while ago. The girl kept her observations to herself, however - she was an advocate of the opinion that relationships were complcated things and that the less other people were involved with a couple's business, especially on the first stages, the better.

  
Then again, that was her. The introverted cynic with a crush on an alien warlord.

  
So she just feigned amusement at the revelation and advised Steve not to harrass either of his friends. And keep Bob from doing that too. Y/n knew by now that most Vehicons weren't very...subtle. They could be surprizingly curious and willing to learn new stuff, but social cues or manners weren't something they knew well, excluding the obligatory military protocols of course. When it came to military regulations on the ship, everyone knew those by spark and acted like it was the only way they remembered how to live.  
Then again, it was mostly true for the usual Vehicon.  
Trying not to lead herself into a gloomy mood, Y/n continued to ask Steve about his friends, about their usual routines and misadventures, not missing the chance to engage in friendly quipping contests with the black and purple mech.  
When Steve left the room, Y/n was in his servo. He gave her a lift to Soundwave's office. Once there, he was quick to peace out, the Communication Officer's presence a too intimidating one as it seemed.

  
Soundwave usually wasn't the one who Y/n was having most of the conversations with. Laserbeak was. Thought the deployer didn't talk _per se_ , he did whirr and make other noises, the meaning of which Y/n usually guessed by tone and body language.  
When she _was_ talking to Soundwave, the dark mech - no surprize - usually just listened. When he did answer, it was either recordings or, more frequently, text appearing on his mask. Again, body language played a huge role with Soundwave and Y/n was glad she could pick up on it with relative ease if she was paying attention.  
The Communications Officer wasn't someone who showed her any explicit affection but he didn't do anything that suggested that he despised her either. She came to a conclusion that he didn't care either way at first, just following his lord's orders and at some point decided that she was tolerable, hence why he didn't object to her being in his office regularly. Making friends with Laserbeak definitely didn't hurt either, the small cybertronian was probably the only one the mech cared for except for the Decepticon lord himself. Not surprising, though, Soundwave and Laserbeak did share a symbiotic link, as Megatron had once told her.  
There was also something about the mech, the young woman couldn't quite place it, but it was just calm to be around him. Sure, the 'no talking' thing and the constant silent stares were somewhat confusing at first, but as soon as she got used to the fact that it was just how the mech chose to communicate she could relatively easily adjust. If she were to be very hopeful, she would say that Soundwave appreciated the gesture.

  
So there she was, currently sitting on the desk near Soundwave's holoscreen as he mech typed away at an efficient, but not hurried speed, his spindly digits flying over the holokeyboard with practiced precision. Laserbeak rested on the desk too, taking up much more space than Y/n did, but Soundwave didn't seem to mind. The corner of one of the deployer's wings rested on Y/n's lap and everything about this situation was fine with her.

  
"So you're saying you prefer Pachelbel over Bach?" the young woman asked and the Communications Officer nodded.  
  
If there was something she could talk about to rouse this mech's interest, it was music. Well, his name was _Soundwave._

  
  
"That's interesting. Are Bach's pieces too loud and bombastic for you?"  
Spindly digits paused their movement for a moment, while the mech considered. He then nodded, continuing his work.  
"I figured," the girl chuckled, then mused,"But you still like electronic music. Though, I suppose it has loads less pathos than something of Bach's. Did you listen to many of his works?"  
A shake of his head.  
"You listen to Air? Bach's, I mean? It's not bombastic at all, it's more...lyrical, emotional in an almost nostalgic way."  
The Communications Officer gave her a brief look, not stopping his typing and, after a few moments of apparent consideration, the second movement of the German composer's third suite started playing from...somewhere, it seemed like from all around. It wasn't loud, Soundwave didn't do loud, but it was enough to create a very nice ambiance.  
As the dark mech typed away, the young woman remained quiet, stroking the side of Laserbeak's wing absentmindedly and enjoying the peacefulness of the situation.  
She wondered, if Soundwave spoke, would he have much to say about the music she recommended him? Would he speak for hours on end, about how the music swelled or died down to his pleasure/distaste, would he muse about the choices the composer/singer made while writing a piece? Or would he be one of those people, like herself, who felt the piece more than analysed it and based opinions on that?  
She probably wouldn't ever find out, but at least she got somewhere with the quiet mech in getting to know him at least a little. For now, Y/n managed to learn that Soundwave enjoyed electronic music, lounge and, if they 'spoke' about classical music, mostly nocturnes and a few calm or sad pieces. If Megatron was to be trusted(and he was, there was no one on the ship she trusted more), Soundwave had a fondness for these musical styles(or at least the closest analogues to them) even on Cybertron. If literature was what Megatron craved for in his gladiator days, music was what captivated Soundwave's spark.

  
  
A long, black, spindly digit touched her shoulder gently and she realized she got lost in her thoughts. Looking up at Soundwave, she smiled warmly, realizing that the music had stopped.  
"Sorry, I was sthinking about something. Did you enjoy it?"  
The dark mech gave a short nod and Y/n sighed in relief. It was always a bit stressful when you let someone judge something you already liked.  
"I'm glad. You wanted to say something?"  
Ha, 'say'. Whatever, Soundwave knew what she meant. He nodded and then text appeared on his mask, Y/n's eyes quickly reading the phrase:  
_[Request: More music suggestions.]_  
"Oh, sure," Y/n smiled, blushing a little for some reason. It always felt nice when someone, who Megatron considered a trusted friend and she herself considered a nice mech, chose to humor her in finding some common ground. "You can go to my YouTube playlists. There's some mixed ones, but also some organized ones, like classical, electronic, video game and movie soundtracks."  
Soundwave nodded, his perfectly polished black mask reflecting the lights of the room.

"Soundwave, I have question, since you're away from the keyboard for the moment," the young woman said softly and the mech just continued to look at her - his own version of saying 'I'm listening'.  
"You know virtually everything you want to know about what goes on on the ship, right?"  
Nod.  
"Are you still keeping tabs on me?"  
Shake.  
"Mhm. So you're saying it _wasn't_ Laserbeak I saw on the medbay's ceiling the day before yesterday?"  
The mech didn't move, but Y/n felt the slight increase in tension between them and chuckled.  
"I'm not mad, by the way. I am kind of annoyed, but right now I'm more concerned if Lord Megatron knows I've been willingly breaking arms and legs to get used to Knockout's little invention?"  
  
_[Megatron did not ask.]_  
  
"So you didn't tell him?" Y/n raised an eyebrow, looking slightly higher than where the text was - where she supposed the mech's optics were. She feared Megatron already knew(and that promised trouble for both her friends and her), but apparently Soundwave didn't forward the information Laserbeak provided.  
  
_[No benefit from information disclosure.]_  
  
"So...you don't want to worry him without reason?" the young woman guessed, her voice soft. Did Soundwave know or suspect that she and Megatron-?  
  
_[Y/n's injuries heal.]_  
_[Suggestion: Present device to Megatron when not in danger of crashing.]_

  
She felt her cheeks flare up. It was embarressing to know that Soundwave, a mech that walked and flied and did everything with maximum efficiency and precision saw her crashing into walls and medical cabinets.

"I'm working on that," she chuckled nervously and took a deep breath to cool down. Soundwave nodded.  
He stared at her for a moment, then looked at Laserbeak, who made a soft whirr. If she'd have to guess, he sounded...nervous?

  
  
_[Clarification: Laserbeak investigated of his own accord. Surveilliance of Y/n - discontinued long ago.]_

  
  
"Is that how it is?" Y/n mused and looked down at the deployer and with now both her and his master staring at him, the little cybertronian's wings nervously twitched.  
The little movement melted Y/n's heart instantly, her lips forming a fond smile as her hand petted the corner of the Deployers wing that was on her lap.  
"I'm not mad. Just come visit me if you're worried next time. Laserbeak can visit me, can't he?"  
Nod.  
"Then we have a deal," the young woman smiled at the Communcations Officer, "You do know that you're, too, always welcome?"  
A stare. A nod.

  
_[Acknowledged.]_

  
"Good," Y/n chuckled.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
On the **11th,** the flight lessons continued. The day of rest did Y/n good and she did surprisingly well when she got back to wearing Knockout's invention. The Energon-fueled wings gave off this barely noticeable good feeling she now associated with the cybertronian lifeblood. By this point, she didn't see any downsides to being around Energon. She wasn't ~~stupid~~ brave enough to try and actually drink the stuff, though. She was a 'proxy', not cybertronian, after all.  
Knockout himself seemed a bit different now. In addition to giving her tips, referencing his own seeker past, he also gave her old, pre-war holotapes of seeker training and performances to watch. Of course, her own wings and physiology were wildly different, but the way seekers behaved and moved when in humanoid form did provide her with some valuable insight.  
"This is...this is really helpful, Knockout! Thank you for finding this for me," the girl thanked the crimson mech and Breakdown nudged the doctor gently.  
"See, told ya she'd appreciate it."  
"Oh, whatever," the mech rolled his eyes, though a chuckle still escaped him,"But you're right to appreciate me. Both of you."  
Y/n and Breakdown shared a look of solidarity as they chuckled.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
The **12th of November** was the day when it had crossed Y/n's mind that there was too little place for her in the medbay, even though the place was huge for a human.  
"Ah, that's a seeker's attitude," Knockout chuckled and Y/n frowned. Though she saw the graceful and masterful seekers on the pre-war holotapes, in real life the word 'seeker' was assosiated exclusively with Starscream and she _despised_ the mech.  
Of course, she wanted to believe other seekers weren't like Starscream, but until now, she had only that sick SiC(pun intended) to compare the word to.  
"Can't you call me something more nice, like a deployer like Laserbeak or something?"

  
  
That inquiry made both Knockout and Breakdown laugh so had she had to wait a couple of minutes for them to calm down.

  
  
"Primus," Breakdown chuckled,"Leave it to Starscream to make a word describing elite flying bots sound like an insult."  
"And making _deployers_ sound more prestigious," Knockout added, smirking.  
Y/n shrugged and just continued flying around the room, Knockout having graciously opened the doors to both a non-dangerous storage and to the smaller corridor that led to the couple's quarters to give her some more space.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
On the **13th,** there was another fight with the Autobots and her wings were used for an actual useful purpose. That purpose was letting Y/n relocate herself from one injured mech to another on her own, ridding the cybertronian medics of the hassle of having to carry her over. Either it was the shock of seeing a flying human or the talks about her in the barracks but, this time, less Vehicons voiced their distaste as loudly.Then again, Knockout's buzzsaw could be heard well throughout the medbay, so that may have been a factor also.

  
  
On the evening of the same day, she was visited by Megatron. She awaited his arrival. She knew word would reach him.  
  
Having Vehicon and Officer friends who warned her didn't hurt, though.

  
  
The moment he walked in, his expression stern, she got up from the stairs, activated the wings and flew up, high enough to be on his optic level, causing the warlord to actually stop in his tracks.  
Her heart hammering away in her chest wildly, she flew closer to the steel-colored mech, stopping a good four meters away from his face. As his optics focused on her, he raised his servo, palm up, in a silent offer.  
Carefully, she lowered herself onto his servo, looking at him, studying his face.

  
Megatron was a smart mech and he liked innovation, but he also could be mad at her for keeping this from him. This could go either way.  
Hoping to tip the scales in her favor, she offered the warlord a conciliatory smile.  
"Now I can fly up to you instead of you constantly having to pick me up?" she offered innocently.  
"And you didn't want to enlighten me of this...new development earlier because..?" Megatron inquired, his deep voice calm. For now.  
"Because I didn't want you to see me flying lamely," she sighed and crossing her arms in slight embarresment. This was genuinely part of the reason, so she could at least offer the mech that. He raised his optic ridges and Y/n thought that, at least, he was surprised and not angry.  
"So you were intending to inform me?"  
"Of course I was," now it was her turn to be confused as she cocked her head to the side slightly,"I just needed time to get the hang of this so I didn't embarrass myself too much."  
A breathy chuckle was her answer and the girl sighed in relief.  
"My dear Y/n," the warlord said, a gracious half-smile playing on his thin metal lips and she could feel her cheeks warming up,"You are indeed full of surprises. Care to fly for me some more?"  
"For you, Megatron? Gladly," she matched the warmth of his tone with her own as she looked into those crimson optics of his. As the warlord gave her a rare sight to behold - a smile instead of his more frequent smirks and half-smiles - her heart swelled.  
_This mech._

  
  
*******

  
  
On the **14th of November,** Knockout took Y/n street racing again. This time, in Tokyo.  
By this point, she had already experienced being carried around in a huge cybertronian servo and flying _in_ a cybertronian, _on_ a cybertronian and by herself, but there was just something inherently exciting in daring maneuvers in a sportscar, especially when said car is your amazingly fabulous friend.  
After the race, Knockout and Y/n groundbridged to the US, where they were joined by Breakdown and the three of them had some good simple fun, watching a horror movie in a drive-in theater.

After all the days spent in the medbay, it was nice to just relax with the two.

 

*******

 

  
In the late evening of the **15th,** Y/n proudly flew up to Megatron's door and finally was able to kick her long-time adversary, the 'damn doorbell sensor' with her foot. Luckily, the device deemed the pressure applied was enough, because not 5 seconds later, the door slid open and crimson optics rested on her.

  
"Good evening," the young woman smiled, glad to be able to look the warlord in the optics without throwing her head back.  
"Good evening, indeed," the steel-colored mech replied, his deep, rumbling voice always making her feel both at peace and excited at the same time. Megatron extended his servo to her and she immediately descended onto his huge metal palm. Wings or not, she would never trade being held in Megatron's servo. And, judging by the fact that he was the one to offer her the opportunity each time, he also was counting on it. Thinking about that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  
"What will it be this evening?" the girl asked as she sat down, her feet tucked under her, "Are you working or allowing yourself to relax a bit?"  
"Actually," the mech said in a nonchalant tone but with a knowing glint in his optic, "Even though the Leonid meteor shower is scheduled for the night of the 17th, I wondered if you would still consider accompanying me to the roof of the Nemesis this evening."  
If Y/n eyes looked completely lovesick, she didn't even care at that point.  
"Did I tell you that you are my favorite mech on the ship?"  
"Please do remind me."  
"Megatron, you're my favorite mech on this ship."  
A wide smile, showcasing sharp dentae, was a clear sign of the warlord's satisfaction with her words.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we can fly! Well, at least we're not crasshing into anything anymore. Srsly, Knockout, calibrate that sh*t properly, jeez.  
> Next chapter - days upon days with Megatron ;))


	26. Part Of The Crew (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter describing events between Y/n and Megatron from the and until the 26th of November.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nnanananannaannannanananananananananaaaaaa!
> 
> Now, dear Readers,  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0c/62/0c/0c620cbed19916c4dd7c24c697a5952e.gif  
> !

 

On the **16th of November** , Y/n decided to go for a walk somewhere breezy, with mountains and lush forests.

  
  
So the wilderness of Northern China it was.

  
  
One gets used to good things quickly and Y/n got used to groundbridging extremely fast, using the alien transportation method to take walks in places she would have never been able to visit otherwise. One day, she hoped, she'd master flying fell enough to be able to fly in such breathtaking places, gliding with the wind currents and looking at everything from a bird's perspective.  
For now, however, walking it was.  
  
As she carefully stepped over a branch of a fallen tree, her phone buzzed.  
Primus, bless Soundwave for her phone's wireless connection and for opening Groundbridges for her.  
  
The young woman took out her phone and unlocked it.

  
  
_Megatron: Good morning. Where are you now?_

  
  
A wide smile graced her lips and she tapped her foot on the ground a few times excitedly, the leaves rustling under her knee-high autumn boots.

  
  
_Good morning! Northern China, Soundwave knows where exactly, I have the GPS on._

  
  
_Megatron: Would you be against company?_

  
  
She typed out 'Oh, you have some free time? I would be so happy if you joined me!:)))', then quickly deleted it, sending a much tamer 'I would be delighted :) ' instead.

  
  
_Megatron: I will be there in a few minutes._

  
  
_Yay :D_

  
  
_Megatron: Indeed._

  
  
_Someday, you will use a smiley face._

  
  
_Megatron: I wouldn't bet on it._

  
  
_You could use this one._  
_> :)_

  
_Megatron: Are you implying that my smiles are evil or that my optic ridges are big?_

  
  
_Your optic ridges are divine, my lord! Please don't kill me :')_

  
  
_Megatron: ETA is 30 seconds. You may want to start running away._

  
_Tell Laserbeak I loved him._

 

  
  
Chuckling, happy that by now the warlord allowed himself to make jokes around her, the young woman blocked her phone. Then, suddenly nervous about her appearance, she quickly looked herself over in the black reflective surface of the smartphone and readjusted her hair.  
Gotta look good for the mech with the amazing eyebrows.

  
  
  
*******  


 

  
On the late evening of the **17th,** Megatron found himself standing on the roof of the Nemesis, holding Y/n in his servo as the human pressed herself to his chassis.  
She was dressed warmly yet he still felt more at peace when he covered her from the wind with his free servo.  
  
The night from the 17th to the 18th was the night the Leonid meteorite shower was scheduled.  Though relatively average in intensity, producing up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak, it was still a Celestial event.  
And Y/n loved those.  
Megatron himself was no stranger to stargazing, it was one of the very few things that calmed his nerves. But now, with Y/n, it felt entirely different. It still calmed his nerves more than ever, but now it also created new, positive emotions in his spark.  
  
So it would be a shame to miss the little show. Especially when the Nemesis offered such a nice view.

  
  
Looking at the girl in his servo, he lets his gaze linger. She soon notices and, in typical Y/n fashion, she looks up at him with that warm, kind smile of hers.  
"Something on your mind?" she asks while keeping strands of h/c hair from getting in her face. The way her long, delicate fingers are buried in her hair makes him think of how soft it probably its. Even when he touched it with the tip of his digit, he felt how soft it was. How would it have felt if he was able to touch it properly?...  
"No, nothing important, Y/n," he answers. The young woman doesn't seem convinced but she leaves him his privacy. And, for that, he is thankful."I have to inform you, however, that I will be gone from the Nemesis for about two orbital cycles starting tomorrow morning."  
"Gone?" her eyebrows fly up to his faceplate again,"Gone where? Where is somewhere you wouldn't be able to groundbri- _Oh._ You're going into space, aren't you?"  
"Clever as ever," he nods,"I need to investigate something and I'd rather do it myself this time."  
"Oh," the young woman answers and he can see the worry in her eyes.  
"Worry not, Starscream knows well to stay out of your way," the warlord assures her.  
"Yes, that too," Y/n chuckles, some, but not all of her worry alleviated, then gives him a thoughtful look,"But I was also wondering if this is a good idea for you to be here, instead of getting precious hours of recharge?"

  
  
Oh, she worried about his wellbeing.  
That was just endearing.

  
  
"I can spare some time," he assures and, for some reason, can't help but boast,"I am a warrior, Y/n, a couple less hours of recharge will not matter."  
She's not sure, he sees that much.  
"I will be fine," he insists, his optics glowing warmly.  
She pulls out her phone and checks the time.  
"If the peak should start in about half an hour, then in about an hour you could theoretically already be in berth," she wonders out loud and it's so strange, to have someone so genuinely worried about him. He considers his next words seriously because, usually, he doesn't offer her an invitation to the thing he was about to propose. Usually, it just...happened. Now, he is faced with the reality that if he wants to keep Y/n close as long as possible, he has to actually ask.  
"If you are so worried about me getting enough recharge," he begins, and there's a heavy feeling in his spark, a worry, "You could always spend the night with me to make sure."

  
  
Frag. Slag. By the pits of Kaon, did that sound as suggestive as he feared?

  
  
Trying not to make any of his inner turmoil show on his faceplate, he looks at Y/n. She looks back at him. Then, she smiles a familiar mischievous smile.  
  
"Oh, Lord Megatron, what an offer so late in the night," the girl chuckles and, by Primus, his faceplate better not be heating up. The human then graciously offers him a warm smile, "Sorry. Stupid jokes aside, I'll happily stay over."  
The heaviness on his spark vanishes, replaced by the gentle calming wave of relief. She'll happily stay. Good.  
"Good," he says and then smirks, ready to quip back," And don't-"  
Suddenly, the thought strikes him, taking only an astrosecond. He was about to say 'Don't flatter yourself', but even in a joking manner, his glossa doesn't turn to let him utter the words. Not to Y/n.  
"-worry, we can pick up that pillow and covers you talked about earlier."  
"You remembered!" her face lights up and he's proud of himself.

  
  
That night, Y/n spent the night with him, his servo covering her small form in an already familiar manner. The warlord's slumber was peaceful, leaving him well rested and ready for the journey.

 

  
  
*******  


 

  
On the morning of the **18th of November** , Y/n saw the Decepticon leader off as he left, accompanied by a few Vehicons.

  
  
The Nemesis was left without its rightful master for at least two days.  
Two days wasn't that bad, she reasoned with herself as she was on her way to return to her cabin. Starscream was throwing her disgusted glances and insults, even more so since he learned of her getting wings, but he didn't dare touch her. And verbal attacks from the seeker were something Y/n could handle, she had a quick enough mind to match his insults with her own brand of smart-ass retorts.  
  
She could always spend the time with Knockout and Breakdown, she thought. And Steve. And Soundwave. Or she'd get a few quiet evenings in the cabin, she had no problem spending the time by herself, she liked herself some alone-time. So the time should go by quickly.  
As the recalibrated door to her room recognized her presence and opened, Y/n was immediately caught off guard.

  
  
Vehicons. The room was full of Vehicons. Five, no, six of them! The mechs turned around to face her, their visors glowing red.

  
  
A lump appeared in her throat, the feeling of dread creeping into her heart. Did Starscream disobey Megatron? Did he order the Vehicons to harm her?  
Her first reaction was to straighten her back and to force herself to look at the mechs calmly and keep her voice from betraying her nervousness.  
  
Please, oh Primus please, let at least one of them be Steve.

  
  
"Good morning. Is there something you need of me?"  
  
"G'morning to you too," Steve said lightheartedly and the rush and subsequent decrease of adrenaline in her blood made her feel dizzy for a moment,"So Lord Megatron's out on a mission..."  
"And Starscream is forbidden from entering this room," Neil chimed in, clueing her into the fact that at least 4 of the mechs gathered were her friends.  
"And you _did_ tell us come by if we had the opportunity..." Kody continued, a bit unsure but hopeful.  
"So we stole a screen and came by to play games. You in?" Bob spilled the beans and nodded to the roof of her cabin where a huge screen was mounted. Jesus, where did they steal it from, a football arena?...That wasactuallly very possible.  
"So you're telling me," the young woman said slowly, walking up closer to her guests,"You come into my room while I'm not here, mount a screen to my roof and expect me to play videogames with you?"  
"Told you she wouldn't agree," the fifth Vehicon pointed out and she recognized the voice. It's the one she helped treat way back when, the one with the busted fuel tank area.  
"I didn't say that, Mr.Fueltank," she smiles slyly and mech seems even more surprised now than when she recognized him the first time he came by.  
"Hey, she remembers you!" the mech next to him exclaims and she now knows that the sixth member of this group was the one she snapped at.  
"I remember you too, no worries, my friend," she chuckles. So the flying Vehicon didn't come with his friends, huh. Well, he seemed like a person who acted as if he was too cool for anything. The mechs looked at her expectantly and Y/n chuckled again.  
"Glad to have you over, guys. Let me go into the cabin to drop off my outside clothes and get my console. Make yourselves at home."  
The laughs and exclamations from the mechs warmed her heart as she hurried into the cabin.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
The place was a mess. The room was full with Vehicons, Energon cubes both full and empty, some Energon was even on the floor. It was the **19th of November** , and a full 24 hours had passed since they had started the gaming marathon. And Y/n hadn't slept a minute. Nor did she want to.  
In the last 24 hours, the seven Vehicons she knew(the 'cool dude' one coming over not long after his friends) were the constant occupants of her room, but other Vehicons would come and go from time to time, curious of what was happening. Some stayed and joined for a round or two, some joined for longer, some just liked to watch and comment, so sometimes the room would feel like it was just packed with nothing but Vehicons as far as the eye could see.  
  
In all this mess, Y/n was perched on Steve's shoulder.  
While she used her controller, Kody modified a couple of datapads to act as a mech-sized ones, because connecting to a game directly via their processor would not only likely fry the console, it would also be the scummiest form of cheating.  
After a few different games, 'Injustice: Gods Among Us' became the game of the improvised marathon.

  
While none of her less familiar guests used their actual names (What was up with Vehicons and names?), they all were very enthusiastic about choosing nicknames that might as well have been names, with the passion and ardor the mechs chose them.  
Mr.Fueltank named himself 'Doomtracks', but everyone present just called him called Tracks. Tracks mained Cyborg, but once in a while switched to Black Canary, claiming she was 'nice to look at'.  
Mr.Sparkchamber, now known under Brushfire - Brush, for short - almost always went with Lobo, but occasionally picked Shazam.  
Mr.'Too cool for School' called himself Steelstrike. Everyone present kept insisting that he call himself  'Edgelord' instead, as it seemed very much fitting, but eventually went with the flying Vehicon's wishes. ~~Edg~~ Steelstrike was playing as Scorpion and Scorpion alone and threw a fit when someone else picked the character.  
  
As for her friends, Bob mained Aquaman, sometimes switching to Harley Quinn 'because she's so fun', Neil usually chose Deathstroke or Martian Manhunter and Kody preferred to play as the Flash or Green Arrow. Steve would pick Nightwing or Green Lantern, but sometimes switched to Hawkgirl for the only reason that 'it felt like playing as Y/n on steroids, wings and all'.  
Y/n herself was challenged to a match probably more often than anybody in the room, so she alternated between characters to keep things interesting, but even so mostly picked Batman or Killer Frost, not forgetting to make ice puns and reminding her opponent that she was the night, she was vengeance...and so on.

  
In the evening, the young woman took a moment to survey the chaos around her and announced a championship where the victor would get the one piece of highgrade Energon candy she had in her cabin as a decoration, and the three players with the lowest scores had to tidy up the place. The promise of something as treasured as highgrade Energon candy, even if it was just a piece, quickly caught the mechs' attention and, soon enough, she was sitting on Kody's(as Steve was agressively playing) shoulder and enjoying the show.  


 

  
*******

 

  
  
His trip gave the Decepticon lord some time to think on things, to figure out the emotions in his spark properly and to bring his thoughts in order.  
It also made him miss Y/n terribly. Of course, he could have told her that she could communicate with him through Soundwave's workstation, but the warlord needed this time of separation where she couldn't influence his thoughts in any way. She still influenced his emotions, however, even if the only contact he had with her were his thoughts of the young woman.

  
And now, these two and a half days later, he was sure of it.  
He did, indeed, feel strong affection towards the human femme. He wanted her to be by his side as often as possible. He wanted to be even closer to her, both in knowing her more and being able to touch her more. He was infatuated with her.  
He admitted that to himself. Still, it didn't mean she should be his. In any other situation, Megatron would have taken any chance to take what he wanted. The Decepticon lord was a selfish creature for almost as long as he could remember. He took what he wanted, either by cunning or by force.  
He could lie to her, tell her the Autobots learned of her existence and were after her or exploit her fear of being experimented on by her own kind and tell her he was going to keep her safe from the humans who hunted her previously. He could keep her by force, cut her access to the Groundbridge and lock her either in her room or in his quarters...No, no he couldn't. He could, but he would not. He wanted the human, this unexpected confidant and even more unexpected object of his affection, to be satisfied and happy. The thought of making Y/n scared or unhappy stung his spark almost, _almost_ as painfully as the thought of letting her go.

  
  
He wanted her by his side.  
He wanted to hear her voice, whether it was thoughtful like when they debated something, cheerful like when she was having fun or - especially - warm and kind like when she would look at him _just so_ that his spark skipped a beat. He wanted to see her eyes, those smart e/c eyes that he found himself getting lost in more and more often. The way they would sparkle with curiosity or mischief or fondness for him, it made him feel better about the world. About himself. And, above all, it made him feel affectionate towards the girl. He wanted to look at her hands, whether they calmly lay on her lap or played with her hair, or gracefully held a glass of wine. At her hair, whether it was down and framing her truly lovely face, in some hairstyle or messy like when he saw her in the mornings after she slept on his chassis.

  
  
Oh, and how he enjoyed that, her sleeping with him.

  
...That still somehow sounded dirty, even in his mind. True, before Y/n Megatron would have never thought about the idea of someone staying in his berth and not attending to his...baser needs. Even then, however long ago that was, no one stayed by his side as he slumbered. The war taught him not to trust anyone to be there while he was in a state as vulnerable as recharge, even if he did wake lightly.  
Y/n, however...at first it was because he was too tired to bother and she couldn't even be considered to be the slightest threat. Just a little well-mannered, seemingly well-meaning creature. Megatron didn't even remember by now _how_ his processor allowed him to not only to bring her into his berth but also let himself fall asleep when usually he would not slumber unless alone.  
Soundwave was the only exception, his loyal friend having the warlord's full trust and, if ever there arose need to properly recharge on a mission, Megatron could let himself recharge for at least a couple of hours in enemy territory if Soundwave was the one by his side.  
But this wasn't enemy territory and Y/n wasn't someone he has known for centuries. Primus, she didn't even know the full truth about him, about the war, and the lord knew, he knew from the start, that she would despise him if she ever found out....But, still, he slumbered better than he had in centuries when she was near. He felt his spark grow three sizes each time he saw her sleepy smile and heard her soft voice.

  
  
The girl was proud and curious, and kind. She could be mischievous and lighthearted. She could be surprisingly serious and insightful. It made him appreciate her all the more.

  
  
There was, however, a troubling character trait.  
  
By the stories she told and by situations he himself saw her in, it was clear that she wasn't inherently fully without darkness in her, but either out of logic or the desire to adhere to her own moral code she showed more kindness and honor than her emotions would tell her to. Somehow, it made her even more intolerable in that respect than Prime himself.  
  
There originally wasn't a bad circuit in the young innocent Orion Pax' body and, when he became the wise, honorable Autobot leader known as Optimus Prime, it was to be expected that he would become even more of an insufferable idealist and do-gooder. Ever in the shackles of honor and principles, and gladly so. He was wise and looked at things philosophically and rarely, even in battle, did Megatron see emotion at least momentarily completely take over the mech's actions. It could burn in his optics, it could be heard in his voice - Megatron knew his brother well enough to easily catch it - but that is where it ended in the overwhelming majority of times.  
Y/n had a darkness in her, she admitted that freely. She hated many things about people and wasn't a stranger to being annoyed at simpler things. She could be cynical or harsh in her judgment, she could be selfish in the confines of her own moral code. But when a situation arose, if by her own principles it was the right thing to do, she would be the one to offer advice, help or a kind smile where others would not make that effort.  
  
There was no benefit to making the situation worse if one could make it better, she once told him. It's not world changing, but it makes a difference for the person you choose to show kindness to, even if the difference is small, she explained with a sigh. Besides, one has to try and be the best versions of themselves, no?  
  
He thoughtfully hummed then, but, in his thoughts, he both admired the young woman and was fiercely angry at her. He both wanted her to throw off what he considered to be the same shackles that Prime wore with pride, and, at the same time, he knew that without them she would be an entirely different being. Megatron did promise himself, however, that he would try his best to persuade her to show him more of her inner darkness and embrace it, even if it was only with him. He wanted to see those sides of her more, he wanted to spoil her if only to engrave it into her mind that he was the one being on the planet that she could truly trust with everything.  
Funny, considering how much he kept from her. How much he would _never_ tell her.

  
  
He wanted all of that.  
All of her.  
  
  
He couldn't have her.  
He shouldn't.

  
  
But he needed her.  
But she would be terrified of him if she knew.

  
But she _doesn't_ know and she obviously trusts him, is fond of him.  
But if she knew-

  
She does not know.  
And he would make sure she wouldn't. He would go to almost any lengths to ensure it.

  
  
And if she found out anyway?  
His first thought was that he would still keep her by force. Her understanding, her kindness, her warm smiles would never be his again, but she would still be there, near him.  
But he couldn't- He did not _want_ that.

  
  
For the first time in what felt like forever, Megatron felt he had to, he wanted to be...selfless. Do the right, the kind thing. Keep his greedy, Energon-stained servos off Y/n.  
It was like he was a miner, D-16, again, and she was the most interesting, most desired, most beautiful book brought from off-planet. Such an alien thing, not a mere datapad. A book that he accidentally caught a glimpse of and, as far as he'd read, realized that it held passages that touched his very spark as if it was written just for him. But he wasn't allowed to read further, to touch the book, to ruin the shining cover and the delicate, pristine pages with his dirty servos.  
The comparison made him beyond furious and made his spark ache painfully, each pulse leaving ripples of misery and anger running through his sparkchamber.

  
That was a bad comparison.  
Because it only made him want her more.

  
  
He wanted her to be with him. He had lived too long to throw away a creature with such a unique effect on his spark.  
But he wanted her to be as happy as possible.  
  
And he would make her as happy as she deserved to be.  
But she did not deserve the pain that would come if she found out about the things he lied about. Such a betrayal would not only make Megatron the object of her eternal hatred, but also bring Y/n irreversible pain.  
  
  
Primus, why was it so hard to be selfish this time?  
Why was it so hard to know that it would be so easy to be selfish?...

  
  
  
It was the early evening of the **20th of November** when the Decepticon lord returned to the Nemesis.

  
  
  
He had decided.  
This one time, he could be the lord that Y/n thought he was and not the mech that he actually was.  
Their usual interactions had to be enough. He was fairly sure he had enough self-control not to let things escalate.

  
  
He assumed his rightful place on the observation deck, reminded Starscream of his place, gave the necessary orders and left Soundwave to handle things. Then, he made his way towards the young woman's room, his spark urging him to go faster. She was so close now. He was tired, but he needed to see her. To hear her. Hold her.  
If he couldn't have her as a l-... _partner_ , then he would at least get what he could from her being his 'confidant', as she had once named herself.

As he walked through the dark corridor of the Nemesis, seven Vehicons appeared in the way, immediately stepping aside, back plates to the wall as the mechs stood to attention. He barely paid them any mind as he walked by, a brief little thought appearing in his processor that Y/n would have probably smiled at the Vehicon's nervousness and fumbling hurry to greet him properly. He did not give a damn why they seemed so terrified or why one of them held a screen in his servos, he had somewhere he had to be.

  
  
Finally, he was at her door, his spark treacherously pulsing in excitement.

  
  
The door slid open.

  
  
And she was there. She was there, her e/c eyes warm, her smile happy.  
"Welcome back," the young woman said as she stood up from her chair, "Glad to see you're home."

  
Oh, the things those words did to his spark. If only this small human knew what went on in his sparkchamber while his face was displaying maybe the smallest fraction of what he felt. He did not notice how he approached her, but when he kneeled before her, offering his servo, he took care to make his voice sound calmer.  
"Ah, Y/n. Thank you, the warm welcome is appreciated."

She hopped onto his servo and he raised her to his optic level, looking over her. She seemed a bit paler than usual, but well otherwise. It seemed that Y/n also looked him over curiously.  
"How was your trip?" she asked, sitting down and putting her hands on her lap, her eyes never once leaving him, her smile kind and warm. She was glad to see him. It made his spark both ache and pulse happily.  
"It was worth it, we found a small Autobot spaceship that had taken heavy damage and went dark. It floated in space for a while, close to a century, it seems, and the equipment and information on it were mine for the taking."  
Her eyes widened in curiosity. Then, in worry.  
"Was anyone on board alive?"  
He shook his head.  
"Good," she sighed in relief, then looked up at him,"I know you are more than capable of handling anything that comes your way, but I'm glad you didn't have to."  
Megatron nodded, an understanding half-smile gracing his metal lips.

"You're tired, Megatron," she gently spoke,"I know nobody tells you what to do, but would it not be best if you recharged after your trip...my lord?"  
She was right, he did not tolerate anybody telling him what to do. But she was also right in that he needed rest, her tender smile, soft tone and lighthearted use of his title reaching his spark and making him look at her with gratitude instead of annoyance.  
"You are right, of course," the warlord agreed, his voice rumbling in his chassis as he unconsciously almost purred the words. He couldn't help it, he was tired and saw Y/n for the first time in three days. The young woman seemed to appreciate his reaction, giving him a fond look in return. Then, she began to stand up, obviously intending to leave his grasp.  
"Though," he quickly said, putting effort to make his voice sound thoughtful,"You, too, seem to have gotten little sleep in the past days, have you not?"  
"That...is very much the case," the girl chuckled softly,"You are sometimes scarily observant, Megatron."  
He couldn't help but smirk at that.  
"As are you, Y/n, as are you," he assured.

  
Then, there was a pause, as he looked at the human femme in his servo and she looked at him.  
Frag it.

  
"Should we...?" he offered quietly with a slight nod of his helm in the direction of the door as the rest of his question fell silent. Damn him to the darkest pits of Kaon(again), why was it so difficult to spell it ou-  
"Gladly," she answered so quickly that it honestly surprised him. On her pale cheeks, he could see an absolutely endearing blush start to appear. She chuckled,"I mean, if I won't be a bother."  
He grinned, his optics half-lidded as he rose to his full height.  
"By this point, dear Y/n, do you even have to ask?" he almost cooed and the bright smile Y/n gave him, adorned by her rosy cheeks, made a low rumble of a hum come from his chassis.

  
  
Tomorrow, he told himself, he would stop the excessive affection tomorrow.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
He did not stop the excessive affection tomorrow.

  
  
From the moment he opened his optics and focused them on the small creature lying on his chassis, right above his spark, he felt a still novel feeling of peace wash over him, making him sigh softly.  
"Oh, you're awake?" the young woman looked up at him, her e/c eyes bright and awake. He raised an optic ridge.  
"How long ago did you wake?" he asked as the girl slid forward from under his servo and sat up on his metal chest, the blanket still draped over her.  
The screen on his wall showed the sun already shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the room and casting a golden light on both of them. The sight of her, so soft, vulnerable and bright, it made the corners of his lips quirk up and his expression become even kinder. An expression that the Decepticon lord didn't use in what felt like forever.  
"Not long," the young woman said as she stretched, his optics catching a glimpse of skin on her usually covered abdomen.

  
No, stop. By Unicron the Chaosbringer himself, think about something else, quick.

  
"Not long..?" he asked, hoping she would attribute the stupid question to his post-recharge state. The girl looked at her phone. Her gaze lingered just a couple seconds longer than it should have.  
"The truth, Y/n," he chuckled, his voice still a bit gravelly. She once said she found his voice pleasing, he remembered. He remembered those words often after the first time he heard them. The human femme giggled, looking at him.  
"Scarily observant," she repeated her words from yesterday and he couldn't help but smirk."About an hour."  
"And you did not wake me because...Of course you did not, you don't ever," he sighed, his voice, however, grateful. He needed the rest and, with Y/n there, it was the best kind of rest.  
"I had my phone, I wasn't bored if you're worried about that," she assured.  
"Now who's scarily observant?" Megatron mused, his optic ridge raising.

They continued to talk just like that, on the berth, for a good long while. It was not often that Megatron broke his usual routine, but he was back after a sleepless expedition, so he allowed himself to be lazy this time.  
Eventually, however, the steel-colored mech got up...only to sit down at his desk. His lieutenants should have sent him reports on what exactly it was he had found, so he had things to read.  
And Y/n could stay at his side longer.

Several cubes of Energon were brought to him, including the blue, glowing 'tea' he liked. As he enjoyed his first proper Energon intake in three days, Y/n joined him, pulling out a bottle of water and a chocolate bar from a bag she stored in the same crate holding liters upon liters of wine. That reminds him, they hadn't had an evening with highgrade for some time now, have they?...

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
On the late evening of the **22nd of November,** Megatron was at his desk, reading over some suggestions from Soundwave on what to do with their newly acquired assets. Y/n was with him, sitting in a soft brown chair that she pushed out of her house and he carried to his quarters and placed on his desk. It looked incredibly out of place on his desk, but Y/n was obviously more comfortable now, so the warlord was fine with it.

As he worked, the young woman read some old articles from a cybertronian newsfeed that he had sent her. Stories describing cultural events or fauna, mostly. Thre were also a few articles on interplanetary travel in the early Golden Age, never-approved and never-posted reports about the life of lower-caste bots and even some adverts, describing places where one with the necessary freedoms could spend time and shanix.  
If he gave her enough information on some things, she hopefully would not seek knowledge on other ones, he decided. It also was subconsciously flattering to him that she, a being who lived on a planet so far away from his own and was born so long after Cybertron went dark, was so interested in it.

His optics would wander off his task from time to time and he would observe the girl momentarily. Sometimes, she would be so absorbed in her reading material that he could get away with watching her a bit longer, noticing how her e/c eyes flew over the cybertronian hieroglyphs, how her expression changed slightly when she seemingly learned something that made her feel a certain way. A few times, his brief glance caught her just sitting there, her eyes downcast, her hand holding her chin lightly as she was contemplating something. Those times, he had to calm himself with thoughts that he had triple-checked that there was nothing in the articles that even closely related to the War or the stories were even written in the same century as his rise to power began. Most times, however, she caught on onto him looking at her and her e/c eyes would suddenly look at him, capturing his optics in a playful gaze. She would smile and he would often just nod lightly before returning to his work. Sometimes, however, he allowed himself to return her smile with a small one of his own.

  
When she asked him about whether he ever encountered nitrotigers, oxide sharks or lilleths ***** , he answered no. But he did recall fighting pneuma-lions and Krystar iron-bears in his gladiator days. The look of awe that earned him made him chuckle in satisfaction. He also thought to himself that, if ever in his life he saw a lilleth, it would probably pale in beauty to the young woman's smile and wouldn't even come close to how fragile Y/n was.  


  
  
***** _A lilleth is a type of beautiful glasslike bird native to the planet Cybertron._  
_Its eggs are notably fragile.(c) TFWiki_  


  
  
*******

  
  
On the **23th,** they enjoyed a nice early morning walk on a deserted beach somewhere on the west side of South America. Megatron did not like sand, but luckily the mountains along the shore were an acceptable enough place to walk. Unfortunately, he had to return to his duties after that and Y/n had plans for the evening, so they didn't see each other on that day anymore.

  
  
*******

 

  
On the **24th** , he texted her that he would come by in the afternoon.

  
  
_Y/n: Great! We'll be happy to see you :)_

  
  
_We?_

  
_Y/n: We._

  
_I do not like to share._

  
  
_Y/n: We are about 87% sure you'll not be against the idea once you come over._

  
  
  
As he walked into her room, the scowl on his face vanished and he realized that he wasn't, in fact, against the idea.

  
"There you are! Come, sit with us," the young woman cheerfully invited as Soundwave turned to face his friend and lord. The Spymaster sat on the ground while Laserbeak lay near him, one of the deployer's wings resting on Y/n's lap.  
The Decepticon Communications Officer cocked his head to the side slightly as Megatron approached, the gesture symbolizing a question.

"Soundwave, it is surprising to see you here...but not unpleasant in the least," the warlord had to admit. Having his most trusted ally and his... _confidant_   to spend the time with seemed like a good idea indeed.  
"Laserbeak and I went for a flight around the ship, then Comm- Ah, _Soundwave_ visited us here for a cube of tea that apparently you both like," the girl said with a chuckle, her delicate hand petting the deployer's dark wing in a way that made Megatron's spark tighten with envy and jealousy. The damn thing used its small size to its advantage. He was once again visited by the idea that he could do that, too, if he only-  
"I imagine that you have a cube for me too, then?" the warlord inquired with an amused tone as he finally sat down next to his friend.  
"You know Soundwave, do you even have to ask?" Y/n giggled as the dark mech placed a cube with hot glowing liquid in the lord's servo.

  
  
Megatron takes a sip from the cube, then nonchalantly asks:  
"I was under the impression that the first thing you would do in your free time was run to the medbay. Or is my medic running around in his avatar among humans again?"  
The way Y/n's eyes snap wide and the way she gulps down the drink that was in her mouth and then coughs makes him smile a toothy, self-satisfied grin.  
"You knew!" she gasps as she looks up at him in surprise, then switches her attention to the spymaster," _Of course_ you knew, Soundwave tells you everything."  
The dark mech gives a small shrug and both Megatron and Y/n chuckle.Soundwave was the one to let them through Groundbridges and he was Nemesis' eyes and ears, so there was no logical reason to act around him as if the warlord never joked with the human femme. Megatron never in his life would make the mistake of treating the Communications Officer as if he was stupid or oblivious, he respected his only friend too much to do that. The warlord only hoped that, as Soundwave didn't ever spy on him, the mech did not yet know the extent of Megatron's affection towards the human.  
....He probably knew.  
Megatron was thankful that in their private meetings Soundwave didn't ever bring it up, though. This was complicated enough as it was, the steel-colored mech wouldn't have the patience to even try to explain what was happening to his spymaster.

 

"So what do you think of what your medic and his assistant are doing?" Y/n asks cautiously, her concern for the red and blue mechs so obvious it was actually a bit funny.  
"I do not care as long as they do their job," Megatron makes a dismissive gesture with his free servo and rolls his optics before suddenly switching to a much darker tone,"But be warned. If a situation arises where there is need for a medic and the medic is unavailable because of any of his _hobbies_...There will be consequences."  
"I'll...make sure to forward the info," Y/n nods warily and the warlord immediately drops the scary voice, not willing to antagonize himself in her eyes more than absolutely necessary.  
"Good," he nods, "Now then. What was it that you were doing before I arrived?"  
The young woman looks at Soundwave, her kind smile returning, and the Spymaster gives Megatron a brief look. Then, music starts playing from the room's inbuilt speakers.  
"Sharing music recommendations," Y/n clarifies.  
"Of course you would," the warlord muses, looking over both of his companions. Y/n smiles and shrugs, her hand renewing its petting of Laserbeak's wing to the latter's obvious enjoyment and Megatron's slight, but well-hidden annoyance. And, whether it's paranoia or experience, the steel-colored mech feels like he can feel Soundwave's knowing gaze on himself.

 

  
  
*******

 

 

On the evening of the **25th,** Megatron was resting on his berth, reclining against the wall and reading, when he heard an annoyed sigh. His gaze traveled to Y/n, who was sitting on his shoulder armor, which offered more than enough place for her.  
"Something the matter?" he asks, raising an optic ridge slightly.  
The young woman lifted her gaze from the phone she currently held and offered a slightly tired smile.  
"Nothing important, sorry if I disturbed you."  
"You did not," he assured, putting the datapad on his lap carefully, the green holographic screen vanishing as he shut if off,"What is it?"  
There is surprise and slight embarrassment in her expression as she looks at the deactivated datapad and then back at him.  
"It's nothing, honestly, it's stupid," she assures and by her voice he knows she genuinely believes it.  
"Still, I wish to know," he points out, his voice calm and - hopefully - soothing. If she was willing to be his confidant, it didn't cost him much to occasionally do the same for her. The young woman takes a moment to just look at him fondly then, sighing, looks to her phone again and rolls her eyes in annoyance.

  
  
"My friends - the ones from my hometown - they can't stop trying to force me to 'go meet somebody' while simultaneously whining and moaning about their own relationships."  
"They _what?_ " he asks quietly as his optic ridges fly up. Y/n's looking at her phone at that moment so she doesn't notice.  
"Exactly," she answers, sure that his question was a rhetorical one, "Isn't it ironic how people who complain the most about their relationships seem to be the most eager ones to be experts on dating?"  
She looks at him again and his expression is unreadable, so she continues:  
"The insistences and advice I can handle, though, it's the constant act of making life more complicated than it can be that annoys me."  
"So you are not bothered by your friends trying to bring you together with someone?" he asks, his optics narrowing, his voice unconsciously dropping an octave.  
"Hm? Of course I'm not," the girl says and his spark feels like it'll drop to the deepest pit of Kaon any second now,"Because they're not going to actually do it."  
His spark hovers on the brink as he holds his breath.  
"What makes you so sure?" he asks and there's worry in her eyes as she looks at him and answers:  
"Because they know that the minute they do something like that, I will be deeply insulted and hold a grudge. To the point of severing ties with them. I hate when people try and play matchmaker. Megatron, I can see that the topic is obviously too stupid and irritates you, let's just talk about something else?"  
His spark now away from the brink, his rising fury calmed, he looks at her with interest.  
"No, let us continue," he asks, his tone now convincingly calm, and she gives him a strange look, but continues:  
"If you're sure...As I've said, they wouldn't dare to actually just bring anyone to me and sprint off giggling, so all they can do is talk."  
"You seem harsh on your friends in this regard," Megatron says, but can't hide his satisfied grin. The girl's eyebrows raise slightly and she smirks.  
"As I recall, you despise then someone tells you what to do. Imagine someone bringing a femme or mech before you and saying 'Go on. Make small talk. Tell them about yourself. We picked them for you, told them some things about you already so why don't you give them a chance now?'"  
"I've killed for less," he says way to quickly and, luckily, she takes it as a joke and chuckles.  
"Well, I'd still like to keep my friends alive and they know I can be strict about some things. I respect them enough not to knowingly anger them and they do the same. So, fortunately, no sudden blind dates," the girl smirks.  
"It this _matchmaking_ considered normal?" the warlord asks. Such practices were on Cybertron too, so it wasn't a new concept to him. It was just that it was _Y/n_ in this situation and that was what got his chassis heating up in rage.

  
He told himself he wouldn't make an attempt to make her his, but it somehow slipped his mind that it meant handing her his blessing to choose someone else. The thought itself was unacceptable. He would kill every single human on the planet, every single one of the 7 billion of them, before he would let than happen. His thoughts are interrupted by Y/n's voice and he has to mind his expressions because she's watching him closely now, knowing something is up.

  
  
"Mostly," the young woman shrugs,"It's considered harmless at least and perfectly normal and even necessary at most. Depends on the people around you."  
"And you taught the people around you...?"  
"That the fastest way for me to cut ties with you is to push someone onto me," Y/n chuckles good-naturedly. He likes her reply. He likes it very much. However, this brings the question-  
"Was there an event that caused such a mindset?" the steel-colored mech asks, his optics studying her face. The girl smirks.  
"Was there some sort of instance where people set me up for a date and it ended horribly, making me think this way?..." she shrugs and chuckles quietly, her eyes holding Megatron's gaze calmly,"No, there wasn't. I just don't enjoy when people meddle in my affairs. If I see someone I find interesting I will walk up to them to get to know them. If someone finds me interesting and comes up to me, I'll never turn them down immediately without a valid reason. I don't need people choosing for me and then expecting me to either 'just give it a chance' or explain why I chose not to."

He looks the young woman over silently. Her eyebrows twitch and an apologetic smile appears on her lips.  
"I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"  
"You almost never do," the warlord points out, amused,"It's refreshing."  
She laughs breathily and the sound is music to his audials, calming him down and finally making him relax.  
"Do continue," he asks and she raises an eyebrow.  
"What, no thoughts on the matter?"  
"I have already told you. I would kill for less," he answers, trying to make it sound more like a dark joke this time. She likes dark humor, so luck is on his side.  
"Where have you been all my life?" she giggles and he decides to humor her some more, even though his spark skips a beat at her words.  
"Space," he answers flatly.  
"With my luck, figures," she answers just as flatly and then both of them chuckle, sharing a nice moment of understanding.

 

"So, if it's not your friends' meddling that annoyed you, then was it their whining?" the steel-colored mech asks.  
"Not the whining _per se_ ," the girl shrugs and sighs, a lock of her h/c hair falling onto her face. She brings up her hand and gently puts the strand of hair in place. He wonders how it would feel, to touch a strand of her hair, to put it behind her ear. He almost misses her next words wondering.  
"We're, and I mean me and my friends," the young woman smirks,"We're all just human. Sometimes there are hardships in relationships, sometimes there are breakups, and it's hard. People deal with that differently. I will gladly listen to a friend about that."  
"Of course you will," he says, almost chastising, and she smirks.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, but not all of us can be Lord Megatron and just say 'Shut your intake and go do your work'."  
This catches him slightly off-guard and he laughs, his laughter rumbling in his chassis. She seems proud of herself and joins him, laughing.  
"It is very effective, however," he points out.  
"Yes. Very effective. In leaving me friendless," she quips.  
"But do you really need such stupid friends?" he asks, half-smiling and raising his optic ridge.  
"Oh yes, everyone around me is stupid and I'm the only human who's worthwhile," she gives him a skeptical look and a wide grin.  
"That is my opinion, yes," Megatron simply agrees, nodding, and his tone is just serious enough that Y/n catches onto it. Her cheeks become rosier in color as she gives him a smile that is half-thankful, half-flattered. She looks beautiful, he thinks.  
"You do know that you've made me blush?" the girl asks, chuckling lightly.  
"I can see that," he grins, proud of himself and the young woman sighs, shaking her head with a smile,"It is a genuine sentiment, though."  
She looks at him with a thankful, fond smile and softly reasons:  
"You haven't gotten to know the other seven billion of us, though."  
"I am perfectly sure," he answers without a doubt in his spark, with sudden sincerity and a certain affectionate note in his deep voice,"You are my favorite."

  
  
There's a quiet, sacred moment when she's caught off-guard and looks at him like his words had touched her very spark - soul, was it? -  and offers him a smile that could only be called hopeful and...loving.  
His spark stops pulsing. Then starts again, double the speed. She catches herself and falls back to her familiar reaction of chuckling and making a comment about how flattering his words are. But the damage is done. The damage is done, the veil was lifted for just a moment and he was perceptive enough to see, to understand what he saw and now he wants to see that smile, that glow in her eyes again. He needs to. He needs _her_ to look at him like that. With his impressive willpower, he forces himself to push back the urge to just tell her right now that he noticed, that he understood. To look at her the same exact way. To cradle her in his servos, close to his spark like some _lovesick-_

"Megatron?" her voice reaches him and he snaps back to reality.  
"My apologies," he says quietly as his optics rest on the girl again,"Something crossed my mind."  
She stays silent but gives him a look he knows by how, a look that means 'I am here to listen'. The warlord shakes his head, closing his optics and sighing tiredly.  
"No, I already know what it is."

He does. He has found the word.  
He was lovesick.  
His spark, after all these stellar cycles, betrayed him and now longed for the smallest, most fragile of creatures.  
For the kindest, most beautiful one of them.  
The longing. The excitement. The warmth.  
The trust. The protectiveness. The ache.  
He had accepted 'affection'. 'Infatuation' even.  
This...was so much worse.

  
  
"Humor me, Y/n," he says with a quiet chuckle as he looks at her. She seems concerned. "Continue talking, what was it what you wanted to say next?"  
"Megatron," she calls him by name gently and it makes the corners of his lips tremble,"I don't think this is the time, there's clearly something on your mind. Can I help?"  
"You already are," he assures and raises his servo, offering it to her. She hops onto it and he brings her to his chassis, keeping her near his spark. This seems to ease the intensity of its pulsation, his spark no longer feels like it's too big for its chamber and about to crack it open.  
Y/n looks at him, her concern apparent and he adores her for it. For worrying about him even though she is the small and fragile one.

 

"Would you please humor me, Y/n?" he asks again, his voice calm, and she obliges with some hesitation:  
"When my friends complain about their current relationships," she begins, looking at him with some worry still, "It's sometimes annoying to be because they are the ones who made it his way."  
"How so?" the warlord asks, feeling like he may yet return to the conversation and not speak like he's five mega-cycles old.  
"Well..." the girl sighs and tells him shortly of the things she had to hear out.

...

"Y/n," Megatron sighs, by now having completely regained control over himself, "I regret to inform you that your friends are, indeed, idiots."  
"I know, right?" she chuckles softly, a certain freedom in her tone,"...Would you say that again?"  
"Gladly. Your friends are idiots."  
"Honestly, they're clever, beautiful and good..."  
"Still idiots," the mech points out and Y/n giggles and sighs contently.  
"Sometimes, you just need to hear someone you trust speak the words," the young woman smiles,"For example: Megatron. Excluding Soundwave, all of your subordinates are idiots."  
A big toothy grin appears on his faceplate before he can stop it.  
"Again."  
"Everyone is a stupid blabbering idiot."  
"Yes."  
"Especially Starscream. Biggest, loudest idiot."  
He hums in approval. She smiles brightly. On this lighthearted note, they decide that it is probably time to sleep. As the lights go off and mech covers the young woman with his servo, closing his optics, he hears her soft, gentle voice once again:  
"Megatron, are you really alright?"  
"Yes," he nods.

  
....

  
"What makes you think I am not?" he inquires as curiosity overtakes him. He may know the answer already, though.  
"Your spark is pulsing faster than usual," she answers softly and - either he imagines it or he can somehow, impossibly, feel it - ever so lightly traces the Decepticon insignia with her delicate fingers.  
"You care about me," he states more than asks, his deep voice soft as he hopes that it's not his imagination that he feels her light touch. He doesn't open his optics to check.  
"I do," she simply answers, no doubt in her calm, quiet voice.  
For a moment, a shadow of a smile graces his lips.  
"I am very much alright, dear Y/n."  
She does not answer and, as a means to rid her of her worries, he carefully, ever so slightly, touches her with his index digit. She's on her side and he lightly brushes her blanket-covered body with his digit, from her shoulder to her hip. She makes no sound or action to stop him, and he can't stop himself from repeating the motion a few more times. It does wonders for him, as he can feel his spark begin to beat normally and the wish to recharge overtake him completely. Soon, he is asleep.  
The young woman on his chassis lets herself drift off only once she hears a familiar pulsing rhythm she knows sets in when he's truly slumbering.

One of her hands is on the pillow next to her head. The other is over the purple symbol in the center of his chassis.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey there's another chapter coming out immediately after this one!
> 
> Srsly though, look at these cute amazingly done gifs of the fearsome Decepticon leader:  
> http://68.media.tumblr.com/e315992de73130d979802834c3399ae6/tumblr_no1gpaCgHw1sn1xl6o1_1280.gif  
> http://68.media.tumblr.com/6ab3a6ae6da147ba13af50dd3babc94e/tumblr_no1gpaCgHw1sn1xl6o3_1280.gif  
> http://68.media.tumblr.com/5341b8c020587f58677ddbbb240263f8/tumblr_no1gpaCgHw1sn1xl6o4_1280.gif


	27. Selfishness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n takes a walk in a forest far to the North. Megatron joins her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws chapter at readers and runs away to hide*

 

It was a clear, sunny and chilly day on the 26th of November. The sky was a wonderful azure color and it reflected beautifully off the surface of the huge lake Y/n was currently standing near.  
The smell of pine needles and pine resin was mixing with the smell of dry, autumn leaves of broadleaf trees, the sounds of the wildlife  - everything made the young woman feel at peace and in awe of the beautiful place she chose to visit this day. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she watched as the wind created the smallest little waves on the water's surface.

  
  
This was North Karelia, eastern Finland.  
And it was amazing.

  
  
Taking another breath, the girl raised her arms up and stretched, raising up to her tiptoes, closing her e/c eyes as she enjoyed the moment. Then, breathing out slowly, she opened her eyes and savored the sight before her once again.  
What a good idea it was to choose this place.  
Better yet, if Soundwave was to be believed, there wasn't a human in an at least 30-kilometer radius. The Nemesis actually hovered in the sky about 260 miles from where she was(a new Energon deposit being the reason for that), so the Communications Officer could give her quite precise data on her location.

  
  
In high spirits, the young woman twirled, light gray gravel making a crunching sound under her feet, then started walking along the lake's coast, sometimes jumping onto boulders or washed ashore tree trunks. The wind played with her hair, the sun shined brightly and it was such a nice day in general, she thought, zipping her brown leather jacket open and letting the cool breeze closer. While walking on a long, ivory-color log that was half submerged in water, the young woman stopped and squatted, looking down. Every stone could be seen perfectly in this crystal-clear water. Inquisitively, she reached out and touched it with her fingertips.  
While not freezing, the water was cool and Y/n knew from her experience with lakes that it was much colder the deeper it got. So no swimming today.  
Standing back up, she ran her fingers through her hair, enjoying the breeze that tamely played with the h/c locks. This, this was her element. Even before all the craziness went down, she always loved being in places like these. Civilization and people were great and all, but here she could really embrace her 'loner' side, her introverted nature, her love of watching beautiful sceneries and/or animals.  
  
Continuing her walk, the girl hopped from log to log, to boulder, to log. After all the flying and getting used to moving in 360°, it felt a bit strange to return in thinking only in 180°. But it was refreshing, familiar, natural for her, so she enjoyed this little game of finding places to jump next. She wondered, however, if there would ever come a time when she'd be able to take her wings outside. Of course, the device was invented for the purpose of her getting around the Nemesis comfortably, but just imagining how many breathtaking sights she could witness made her want to bring the wings with her the next time she decided to groundbridge somewhere beautiful.

  
  
She also wondered where Megatron was. He did say he would be coming over as soon as he was finished with his brief morning routine on the observation deck. Probably had to take care of something, she decided.

  
  
She couldn't lie to herself, though, she really wanted to hear the sound of giant, heavy footsteps right now. Such a lovely day, she really wanted to share it with the steel-colored mech. Especially considering that it seemed like something was bothering him yesterday.  
  
As if hearing the girl's thoughts, a Groundbridge opened some five meters from the shore, making the water reflect the glowing greens, whites and blues. Turning, the young woman hopped on shore and was ready to greet the emerging mech with a warm smile.

  
  
What she saw coming out of the portal made her stop breathing and her heart skip what seemed like several beats.

  
  
The Groundbridge closed.  
The man who came out of it remained.

  
  
It was a holomatter avatar, no doubt, Y/n could feel that. But, more importantly, she didn't have any doubts as to _whose_ avatar it was.  
The height, greater than even Breakdown's, the broad shoulders, the grayish white hair and the piercing red eyes, looking at her expectantly.  
  
She never expected this. Not today, not in the future.

  
  
Still not fully free of her shock, the young woman took a couple steps towards the man who was approaching her, his towering height becoming more and more apparent, neither of them speaking a word. He wore gray pants, a white button-down dress shirt, the first two upper buttons unbuttoned, and a light-grey coat, the same color his armor had but without the metal shine.  
Then, he stopped, leaving an arm's length between them.  
  
She could register herself breathing again, but her eyes were still full of astonishment, looking at the man before her. He also looked her over, the new angle offering a new perspective no doubt.  
He _did_ look older than he was, she realized. He looked like someone who's been through hell and back, and returned victorious and proud. Someone who had seen things. Done things. He looked like...like himself. Different, but the same really. Just like Knockout described it when he tried to explain to her how it felt - looking at a partner's holomatter avatar.  
And he, whether he was a giant steel-colored mech or a tall silver-haired 'human', would always be considered no less than handsome by her.

  
  
"Does it surprise you," he spoke up and it was _his_ voice, making her heart flutter,"That my holomatter avatar looks rather...aged?"  
She realized that the ability to speak came back to her, but there was an even more important realization. Over the time spent on the Nemesis, over the countless conversations, the girl grew to know his voice. And it was troubled right now, uneasy. It seemed like he himself hadn't expected his avatar to be this way.  
"Actually," she gave him a lighthearted smile, "It surprises me how you manage to look so handsome both as a mech and a 'human'."  
  
Oh, that made his eyebrows fly up, his burgundy eyes looking at her in surprise.  
Stuff that embarressment deep, deep down, Y/n, there's no time for that now, she ordered herself hoping it would work.

  
  
Chuckling at the man's reaction quietly, she now gave him the warmest, sincerest smile and extended a hand to him.  
"Welcome to my eye-level, Megatron. Your avatar is fine if you ask me."  
Very, _very_ fine, she added in her mind.  
  
Seemingly still recovering from her words, the warlord looked at her hand and slowly, carefully took it in his own huge one, the contact making them both flinch and then just hold each other's hand silently. Her gaze fell to their hands. The big hand, the warm, callused skin of the palm, the long fingers - it was all just so very _him._  
  
"It seems that no matter how small a form I assume, you will still have tiny hands," the man mused with a soft chuckle and that made her look at his face again. The warlord continued looking at her hand for another moment before locking gazes with her again. She found it in herself to smile, though her heart was beating like it was going to give out any second now. Megatron's grip was a secure, but gentle one, enough to hold her hand firmly, yet carefully.  
"It also seems that no matter how small a form you try to assume I'll still have to throw my head back to look you in the optics. Eyes, that it," she chuckled quietly, "Not that I have a single thing against it."

  
As the warlord seemed to relax somewhat, a half-smile found its way to his lips, his hand still not letting go of hers. And her of his.  
Perhaps, it was because they were used to her sitting in his servo all the time nowadays. Or maybe it was because of the sensation of skin on skin. Whatever the reason, neither his or her grips faltered.

  
  
"You have such soft hands," Megatron mused, looking at her hand again, "May I?"  
She had no idea what he was asking to do, but she immediately nodded, encouraging his curiosity. After all, judging by her friends from the medbay, touching things in a 'human' avatar was an exciting experience.  
He opened his hand and looked over her smaller one, now with more attention. Then, he raised his free hand and dragged his fingertips along the back side of her palm, the action sending shivers up her spine.  
"So fragile you are," the man murmured as his fingers traced her narrow wrist and the way how careful he was with her was endearing.  
"You don't have to worry about hurting me, I'll be fine," the young woman assured, smiling fondly,"If you're curious about how something about me feels, you may touch and learn."  
Dark crimson eyes looked into her own and the Decepticon lord gave a thankful nod. She was clothed for outdoors, so there were limited options for him to touch, but Megatron had an inquisitive nature and made good on what he had. Y/n just tried to keep calm and keep herself in a light-hearted mood, waging battle on both her hammering heart and her brain that was currently descending into chaos. On the outside, she was kind and patient, on the inside there was a struggle to keep at least most of the blush off her face.

  
Megatron's eyes were both curious and appreciative, his gaze was intense, like he wanted to know everything and anything there was about her, like there wasn't the most beautiful scenery right behind her, like there was only the two of them and nothing else.  
The moment his hand touched her neck, her smile faltered. The moment his hand gently touched the side of her face and drifted up into her hair both of them held their breath momentarily, the warlord's hand stopping as he locked eyes with her again. 

  
"You are so very beautiful, Y/n," the man said and there was such a powerful mix of emotions in his voice and his eyes, emotions that she saw him trying his hardest to keep in check, that her heart both swelled and ached at the same time. The warlord then continued, looking away, his expression like he was greatly troubled by some inner turmoil:  
"I should stop. This was not a good idea by any means."  
  
His hand, however, stayed where it was. Intending on keeping it there, the girl carefully put her hand on his wrist, the gentle touch making the man look at her again. She urged him to talk to her with but a look, a look he knew well by now, a look she gave him often when they would converse on more private topics like literature or life stories.  
The Decepticon lord took a deep breath, his deep red eyes not leaving her face.

  
  
"You are perceptive, Y/n. I am sure you are aware by now that I am...fond of you."  
Continuing to look into her e/c eyes, the man stepped closer, as if unconsciously seeking, hoping for an affirmation. Her throat suddenly dry, Y/n nodded.  
"I can't have you, Y/n," Megatron stated like he believed it, and it was almost enough to break her heart then and there. Almost, if only she didn't see how much he was struggling to present and defend the idea, "The biggest act of mercy I could ever show you would be to let you go, let you return home for good, to let you forget about the Nemesis and everyone aboard it, me especially."

  
"Even if you forced me to leave, I would never forget you," the young woman answered honestly, her tone soft as she tried to calm the storm that was raging within the warlord.  
Her own heart was beating furiously, but at least she didn't have any reservations about the idea of whatever _this_ between them was. Understandably, the mech, with his authority and responsibilities, probably had more trouble giving in. While he was only getting closer, the young woman still kept one hand on his wrist, and she gently placed her other hand on the man's chest, feeling the soft fabric of the holomatter cloth and the hard, firm chest under it. The touch seemed to snap a few more of the countless shackles of self-control that Megatron had on himself and as he gasped softly, his big, warm hand covered hers and squeezed it like he was afraid that she'd pull away any second.  
"You don't understand, Y/n," the warlord reasoned, his gaze focusing on her eyes, but now and again - just for half a second - darting away to catch a glimpse of her lips before locking eyes with her again."I am not someone you would ever want as a partner, for however long."  
"And if I already do?" she asked softly.  
"You don't-" the man squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head," You don't know _everything_."  
"You are an army leader at war," the girl soothingly lowered her voice,"You've told me much. You don't have to tell me every single thing. If all that you've already told me was true, then I have an idea of what you had to do."

  
There was a long, painful sigh from the man and he opened his eyes. They were now standing so close to each other, their foreheads almost touching as the lord held his head low.  
"I am a selfish mech, Y/n," the man said, his deep voice laced with sadness and the last desperate attempts at winning a losing battle against his spark, "I want you to be mine even though I know you wouldn't want the same of me. And I am trying my hardest to not be selfish right now, to give you the opportunity not to get involved in what you would regret."  
His body, however, acted in contradiction to his words, his hands continuing to hold her by the back of her neck and by the hand. Thank all and any gods for that - at this moment, Y/n felt like she wouldn't have survived the separation.  
"But I do want the same of you," the young woman said, raising the hand that was previously holding the warlord's wrist and gently touching his cheek.

  
"Don't-" the man's voice broke off as he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch with a soft sigh and a quiet deep-voiced hum, sending her heart aflutter. His eyes then opened again slowly and looked into her own, and there was _so much_ in his gaze - so much affection, so much longing, so much restraint, and, under all that, a little shining light of repressed hopefulness.  
The warlord looked like he was about to say something, but the words never fell from his lips. Instead, he took his hand off hers and put it under her jacket, on the small of her back, then slowly moved it up to between her shoulder blades, both of them sighing quietly at the touch. As the man pressed her closer to himself, the hand that she had on his chest traveled higher, ending up gently resting on the back of his neck.

  
Y/n looked over the man's face in adoration. Her heart wanted nothing more than to just be with him, be there for him, have him for herself. Her mind was quickly losing the battle, yet was still struggling. Perhaps...Perhaps, if the lord really, truly had doubts about this, if he maybe thought that a more serious relationship between them would hinder his efforts in the war-

  
"Megatron..." she called out to him in a soft, gentle, loving voice, still not sure what her next words would be.  
Her calling him by his name like that, however, finally broke the mech and, in a second, his lips crashed onto hers. There was no hesitation, she immediately closed her eyes and kissed back, sighing softly into the kiss, her reaction only encouraging the man tenfold.    
What started as a desperate, intense kiss gradually changed into a gentler, yet no less passionate one as Megatron's big, strong hands pressed Y/n closer to him and as her arms encircled his neck. It was indescribable, the fire, the electricity that seemed to run through them after finally giving in and letting themselves touch and kiss and revel in each other's presence. It felt like heaven while hellfire was raging in her chest, it felt like her feet weren't even on the ground...Her feet _weren't_ on the ground.

  
Gently, ever so gently pulling away to both take a much-needed breath and look at the warlord, the young woman opened her eyes...only to see red optics gazing right into her very soul.  
"Y/n..." the mech before her whispered, his crimson, half-lidded optics searching her e/c eyes, his mighty servos holding her securely, each of his sharp digits applying gentle, yet noticeable pressure to her skin. He was even taller now, too, her feet were about 10 centimeters off the ground.  
The mech seemed to finally realize the change that happened to him. And, this time, Y/n was sure she saw the slight blue hue that appeared on his metal cheeks. It was more endearing than she could have ever put into words, the strong-willed warlord did not get embarrassed easily.  
"My apologies," he said, his optics now looking to the side,"It seems I was a bit...overwhelmed."  
"Don't apologize," she said, her voice tender, as she touched the top of the warlord's helm with her forehead, making him look at her again in surprise, "This is your natural form. Whatever appearance you could take, this will always be the one I like the most."  
" _You..._ " the steel-colored mech whispered and his voice sounded what could only be described as reverent. He quickly recovered his confidence, however, and the next moment his metal lips were on hers again as the lord hummed, pleased.  
Having now let go of his self-restraint, the warlord savored her in earnest, the kiss slow and full of long-suppressed emotions, of the wish, of the need to feel her. When the girl felt the mech's warm glossa on her lips, heat rushed up her neck and to her cheeks and she immediately granted him access, sighing sweetly as her tongue touched Megatron's, feeling the low rumble in his chassis against her chest.

  
His chassis was hard and unyielding, his servos huge and dangerous, his metal lips had scars on them and his dentas were sharp and Y/n loved everything about it, everything about him.

  
  
As they pulled apart, the mech carefully traced the side of her face with his digits, looking into her e/c eyes fondly.  
"You are truly the single best thing about this planet," he said, his deep voice warm with affection and she felt a blush appear on her cheeks at that statement.  
"Not sure about that," she smiled happily, a quiet lovesick sigh escaping her,"There's also lots of Energon here."  
The warlord chuckled, the sound reverberating in his broad metal chassis and Y/n couldn't help but chuckle too.  
"I know what I said," Megatron assured as he smiled at her charmingly, making her hands tremble slightly and tighten their grip behind his metal neck.

  
  
They shared a long, meaningful look, a look devoid of tension now that they didn't need to dance around the issue of their feelings for one another. It was liberating to be able to look at the one you cherished and know that not only were they aware of your affection, but that your feelings were reciprocated. It was exhilirating enough to make them both drunk on the heady feeling of their connection.

  
  
"My dear, beautiful Y/n," the warlord cooed, making her heart melt, "Never would I have thought I would find a creature as lovely as you."  
"Careful, Megatron, you will spoil me, talking like that," the young woman warned happily.  
"I fully intend to spoil you," the lord promised her, "I also remember you saying that I am handsome," he teased her, his optic ridge slightly raised in a flirty manner.  
"I _did_ say that," she easily admitted, smiling brightly,"What, you thought I'd be embarrassed about that? You are a very handsome mech, after all."  
Her own brow raised in a coquettish manner and, after a momentary silence, both of them chuckled.  
"Shall I carry you for a little walk?" the mech asked and Y/n giggled, her heart and soul overfilled with happiness.  
"You are somewhat too small to carry me in your servo, don't you think, my lord?" she teased and Megatron immediately smirked. A second later, she was laughing in delight, her cheeks rosy, as he easily, playfully even, picked her up in his arms, allowing himself to laugh too.  
His laugh always made her heart swell, but this was the first time that Y/n heard this lighthearted type of laughter from the mech. She would treasure laughs like this, she thought to herself, as those were times when the lord seemed to forget his burdens and just fully enjoy the moment. Her e/c eyes watched his face adoringly as her arms rested around his strong metal neck.

  
  
They spend the day outside, walking around(eventually, Y/n managed to convince the lord to let her walk on her own), talking and exploring the place, sometimes even encountering various wildlife.  
As the day turned to evening and the sky went from blue to peach, to pink, to lavender, they found a nice little clearing on a hill overlooking the lake.

  
  
"Megatron?" the young woman asked as she sat on the mech's lap, her side pressed to his warm chassis.  
"Yes, Y/n?" the warlord asked, his voice deep, calm and satisfied like she'd never heard him before today.  
"Have you ever experienced the nighttime in places far to the North before? On Earth, that is?"  
"No, I have not. Why, is it different somehow?"  
Y/n smiled.  
"I'll show you if you close your optics and promise me not to google anything."  
His optic ridges slightly raised, the mech looked at her in consideration for a short moment, but then nodded.  
"As you wish."  
"No googling. Promise me."  
"I give you my word," he said, nodding again,"Though, the right to choose how exactly I will close my optics remains my own."

  
Huh?

  
"Yes, of course," the girl nodded, not sure what he meant.  
Until the Decepticon lowered his head and rested it on her shoulder, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. As parts of the mech's helm and face touched her skin, Y/n's breath hitched, eliciting a quiet chuckle from the mech.  
"You are delightful," he murmured, the unexpected praise making her cheeks heat up. Sighing and smiling lovingly, she raised her hand and gently put it on the mech's helm, caressing the metal. The barely-noticeable flinch of broad armoured shoulders and the way the mech leaned into her more made her remember Steve's words from long ago, how the Nemesis was a place where a meaningful display of affection was extremely rare. As she pressed her lips to the side of Megatron's helm and felt his embrace around her tighten, she wondered if, by having moments like these, she could offer him at least a brief respite from the war.

  
  
Time passed, and they continued to sit in silence, enjoying their newfound closeness as it quickly grew darker and darker around them.  
"Are you cold?" the warlord asked suddenly,"It is 4 ° Celsius."  
"I'm fine," she assured, though her hands were indeed starting to feel cold, the cool air biting at her skin playfully,"You're warm, so we can stay a bit longer to enjoy the view."  
Indeed, the closer to his spark, the warmer the mech was. Just like in reality, when he was the size a damn house. The thought made her chuckle quietly.  
"Is there something amusing I need to know?" the mech inquired.  
"No, just a random thought. More importantly, you can look up now."  
"I do not want to," the Decepticon stated, his deep voice sounding lazy,"I am very comfortable like this."  
"That's very nice to hear," the young woman chuckled, "But look up. It's worth it, I've been waiting for it all day."

  
Grumbling, the mech obliged and, slowly sitting up,  raised his head and opened his brightly glowing crimson optics.  
As he gasped softly and his optics widened in surprise, Y/n couldn't help but giggle before looking up too. 

  
Giant, glowing see-through veils of green and lavender light rippled above them, the deep dark blue of the sky and the shining stars serving as background for the breathtaking display. The lake water reflected the sky, giving the whole place around them a magical, otherworldly look.  
"It's called Aurora Borealis," Y/n said softly, as if afraid to spook the miracle away.  
"Collisions between electrically charged particles from your system's sun that enter the Earth's atmosphere," Megatron murmured as he brought her closer to him, his metal arms holding her in an affectionate, protective embrace.  
"You're googling," the girl smiled, resting her head against his chassis and hiding her hands in her jacket's sleeves.  
"I waited until you've shown me," the mech pointed out, then rested his head on the top of hers lightly.  
"Do you like it?" she asked, still looking at the sky. As far as she was concerned, it was startlingly beautiful.  
"I do," the warlord said thoughtfully,"It was indeed worth the wait."  
"Glad to hear," the young woman smiled, happy that her planet had things that could impress the centuries-old alien.

...

  
"Y/n?"  
"Yes?"  
"Would you turn around for me?"  
"Sure, what is i-m! Mm~"  
As the girl closed her eyes and leaned into the mech, returning the kiss, the Northern lights continued to shine above, as if the sky itself was celebrating.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case any of you are curious, my inspiration came from here:  
> http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/998/220/a73.jpg  
> http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yU63qNvPj9Y/Vbi4ZW49XcI/AAAAAAANs-c/gGIcj3tCmv4/s1600/p_11_13.jpg  
> (IDW Transformers:MTMTE comic, Issue 43)  
> And here:  
> http://decepticons-and-drugs.tumblr.com/post/126681908101/megatrons-holo-avatar-though  
> Dat Tumblr post, it mirrors what I thought as I read the comic <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> So many chapters still ahead~ Let the Era of Love begin!


	28. Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is fluff.  
> There is no plot progression here.  
> Y/n and Megatron finally got to be as affectionate with each other as they wanted for a while now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff.  
> Sickeningly sweet, toothrotting fluff about two dorks in love. Both are not really themselves because they are currently drunk on each other's affection.  
> Plot progression may happen in the next chapter. Maybe.  
> The Era of Love~

  
Y/n awoke to a sharp digit lightly, carefully tracing a path from her shoulder down to her hip.  
Her eyes still closed, the young woman let herself just enjoy the gentle touch for a moment, shifting a bit under the covers and humming softly in satisfaction. A deep, sleepy chuckle was her reward.  
  
  
It was two days ago when she and Megatron had decided to throw caution to the wind and be together, but it felt so right, so good that switching to being much more affectionate with the mech felt natural more than anything else. Megatron, too, seemed to be happy with how things were. After that day at the lake, the Decepticon lord seemed to cast aside whatever doubts he had and embrace his desire to have her as his lover, a fact that made the young woman happy. She wouldn't want him worrying, after all, his worries might as well be her worries with how much Y/n cared for the steel-colored mech by now.

  
  
Sighing sweetly while the digit still stroked her side and applying a considerable amount of willpower to make her eyes finally open, the young woman turned her head to look at the warlord. As expected, she was met with a steady, warm gaze of crimson optics.  
"Good morning," she all but crooned softly, making a sleepy, satisfied smile appear on Megatron's face.  
"It is indeed," he answered, his digit stopping it's movements when she sat up and instead hovered near her head, the tip of it carefully touching her h/c hair, "A fine morn to you too, Y/n."  
Giving the Decepticon a fond, thankful smile, the girl leaned into his touch more, reminding him that - while he was powerful beyond belief - he could touch her a bit less careful, even while in his normal cybertronian form. She trusted him, she knew that he had as much control over his body as she had over hers, so this was perfectly safe and even desired in her eyes. Megatron didn't waste a second to pet her cheek with his digit lightly. She had no idea if he could feel her pressing back into his metal finger, but, by his reaction, she could estimate that there was at least a moral effect to her actions.  
"So what's your plan for today?" the girl asked, happy that she didn't have to conceal any affection in her voice.  
"The usual, if nothing urgent requires my attention," the warlord answered thoughtfully, his voice quietly rumbling deep in his chassis making it sound almost as if he was purring.  
Y/n nodded then stretched, closing her eyes and covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she yawned.

  
  
"Hey, Megatron?" she asked lightheartedly.  
"Hrm?" the mech raised an optic ridge, interested.  
"Life is good," she smiled and chuckled a bit, knowing that he understood what she meant. Yes, he was at war and she never forgot about that, but in these peaceful moments when it was just the both of them, all was good. The Decepticon lord chuckled too and _oh how she loved his voice._  
"It is, dear Y/n."

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
  
"Doll, did something happen?"  
Knockout's sly voice ripped her out of her thoughts as she sat on his desk, checking her wings as they lay sprawled out in front of her after another training session. Sure, she could fly confidently now but she wanted to actually be able to fly to her heart's content, maneuvers and all.  
"Hm?" she looked up at the ruby-colored mech, her eyebrows slightly raised,"I don't think so, why?"  
The medic hummed distrustingly, a smile playing on his metal lips as he looked her over.  
"There's just...something about you lately. You're positively glowing...Is there someone we should know about?~" the doctor teased and Breakdown, who was readying some equipment to buff Knockout, laughed in the background.  
"Does our little friend have some human she wants to smooch?"  
"Or some human she already smooches?" the medic cooed, then smirked, "Or both? Oh, you naughty girl."  
"Pfft," Y/n rolled her eyes and chuckled, then sighed to calm herself down,"Nah. No 'somehuman' here."

  
Well. There was no _human._

  
"So what then?" Knockout asked, putting his servo on his hip, his interest diminishing somewhat now that he was told that there was nothing romantic going on.  
"I don't know," Y/n shrugged, "Maybe it's the scenery here. Did you even check out the area where you are mining now? It's gorgeous."  
"Meh," the doctor gave an unimpressed shrug, "It's all grass and dirt and rocks there, I wouldn't want to dirty my tires or pedes."  
"But it's a real romantic setting and stuff, " Y/n pointed out but really didn't insist. More for her and Megatron then. The red mech gave a thoughtful hum.  
"How about you and me go racing in Las Vegas instead? Hm? Shining lights, big cash for you, big egos to destroy for me, lots of eyes on me...What do you say?" he asked in a tone that made Y/n envision him as a little devil on her left shoulder. But Las Vegas...  
"Okay, citymech, Las Vegas it is," the young woman smirked and Knockout's optics creased up a bit as he smiled.  
"Fantastic. Then go get ready, we'll be off when Breakdown here finishes buffing me so I look as good as I can."  
"Oh, you always look like a star," Y/n chuckled, not even hiding the fact that it was blatant flattery.  
"I know. Marvelous, aren't I?" Knockout purred, pleased.  
"Sure are," the young woman rolled her eyes good-naturedly and, putting the wings back on, jumped off the desk and flew out the door.

  
Better text Megatron that she may be busy by the time he'll finish his errands.  
Now, what should she wear to _Las Vegas_?...

 

  
  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
The sound of Y/n's laughter could be heard at the end of the hallway.

  
  
Ah, what a lovely sound. And what convenient timing.

  
  
Since Y/n was so eager to spend the day with the medic and his assistant, Megatron used the time to train in the battle simulation room. It's not like he needed the training, but he liked to keep his skills sharp.  
So now, at almost 2 AM, it was a convenient coincidence that Y/n was walking right into his servos. Well, 'being carried' to be more accurate.

  
  
As soon as the laughing trio emerged from behind the corner, his optics narrowed slightly. Y/n was sitting in Breakdown's servo. His mind told him that it was perfectly normal for the young woman to be carried around in another mech's servo, but his spark and his possessive nature growled otherwise.  
  
She was the first one to notice him, her joyful eyes landing on his form by accident. The way her face lit up even more the second she saw him made him feel _good_. Yes, this was right, she may be with those two buffoons, but _that_ was a look reserved only for him. Oh, it warmed his spark delightfully.  
"Lord Megatron!" she chirped and her companions looked ahead, startled and panicked, instantly shutting up, their faces a comical contrast to her happy one.  
"Oh, my lord!"  
"Master!"  
As the two mechs moved to the wall and stood to attention, Y/n threw them an amused look, her brow raising slightly. He knew the look, she was holding back a chuckle.  
  
Walking over to the three of them in a calm yet authoritative manner, he stopped right in front of them, looking over the red and blue mechs.  
"You look especially magnificent today, my liege," the medic offered with his usual smile while his assistant nodded and Megatron had to make an effort not to roll his optics. Showing no emotion, he just extended a servo and opened it, palm up.  
The two bots looked at his servo, clearly not connecting the dots. The effort Y/n was putting into not laughing was clearly visible to him now even if she remained outwardly calm.

  
  
"I will be taking Y/n now," Megatron clarified in a tone that was still calm, but promised repercussions if the two wouldn't comply. And comply soon.  
His subordinates looked at Y/n and he could see the worry in their eyes, then they looked at him, then at his servo, then back at Y/n, who already got up and nodded her head at him in a very polite, almost bowing manner. After that, she looked at the duo.  
"Guys. I think Lord Megatron wants to speak to me about something....Do I need to jump the distance or...?"  
Snapping out of their trance, the two mechs hurried to give her over to Megatron, still looking surprised and worried. As soon as the young woman was in his servo, her cherry-colored evening dress catching the light and glimmering, Megatron threw a disinterested 'Dismissed' at the mechs who hurried to remove themselves from the hallway.  
As Knockout quietly called out to Y/n with a nervous 'Text me' and disappeared, followed by his partner, the hallway descended into silence.

 

  
  
He looked down at Y/n. The girl turned around and looked back. He could see the mischief dancing in her e/c eyes like dozens of sparks.  
"You look especially magnificent today, my liege," she crooned in a familiar manner, parodying the medic right down to his trademark smile.  
Megatron hmphed and rolled his optics.  
"Y/n, please," he tried to frown but smirked instead, making the girl chuckle in satisfaction as he started walking towards her room.

 

  
"So...red?"  
"Knockout has a thing for color coordination."  
"I see. Was Las Vegas enjoyable?"  
"Well, it was impressive. I'm not a fan of big, crowded and loud places but it's definitely worth spending a day there and having those two there made it really fun."  
"I see."  
"My favorite pastime is when it has anything to do with you, if you're wondering."  
"Ah, is that so?"  
" _Now_ I've got you attention, hahah."  
"Heh."

  
  
_You always have my attention,_ he thought.  
  


 

  
  
*******  
  


 

  
  
When she woke up to someone knocking on the door, she thought it was Knockout and Breakdown.  
When she opened the cabin door and saw Megatron's human holomatter avatar-

  
  
A happy chirp-like noise escaped her as she immediately threw herself into his arms, sighing happily as he hugged her tightly, even lifting her off the floor a little.  
She adored Megatron as he was, giant size and all, but being able to hug him properly and be hugged back was absolute bliss, no matter human or cybertronian form.

  
  
"I take it I have made your morning good?" he chuckled, still holding her close and running a hand through her h/c hair.  
Instead of an answer, the young woman leaned her head back a bit. Just enough to kiss the man, who gladly, hungrily even, kissed her back.  
  
It was a long while of kissing and hugging and sighing lovingly before they were able to talk.  
Her mind told her that that was perfectly normal as all new and in-love couples tended to stick to each other like glue and had an overwhelming amount of affection to express. Her heart told her mind to shut the hell up and just enjoy this.

 

  
  
When they were able to talk properly, they found themselves on the couch, Y/n sitting on the man's lap while he had his big, strong arm around her waist.  
Whether it were the usual limits to the amount of touching they could have, their shared habit of having constant physical contact or just the whole 'in love' thing talking, this felt like a very natural position to be in right now. Especially considering that Megatron, even in his human avatar, was so ridiculously large that his lap was like a bench for her. A warm, muscular bench.  
Currently, Y/n was doing a very nice job of distracting Megatron from whatever he was trying to say by gently massaging his temples with her thumbs while her other fingers were buried in his grayish-white hair. He had some black hair on his temples, she noticed. She loved that too. Who was she kidding, she loved everything about this situation and Megatron.  
  
"As I was trying to say," the man chuckled, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the attention,"Your trip to Las Vegas reminded me of a thought I've had occur to me a few times."  
"Mm?" she inquired softly, switching her attention to the man's neck.  
  
Dear Primus was he tense. Somehow, the girl wanted to attribute that not to his physical body being literally living metal but the fact that the Decepticon lord was always under a lot of stress. She'd try to help with that.  
Megatron threw his head back and sighed in pleasure as she started to apply firm pressure with her thumbs in kneading, circular motions to his neck and making her way to his shoulders. She wondered if it would have worked the same way if these were metal neck cables under her hands right now. Judging by what Knockout had told her, it should have but she'd have to apply somewhat more pressure. Fascinating. So very fascinating. But even more than fascinating, that neck and those shoulders were so very alluring. Oh, she could just kiss them-  
Tense. Megatron was tense. Focus on helping him, she told herself, trying to keep her heart at least somewhat steady.

  
  
"You were saying...?" she teased and red eyes opened slightly to look at her in a manner not too dissimilar from that of a satisfied cat.  
"I was saying I wondered about something," he all but purred, further making her think of comparing him to some big cat that she got to pet.  
"Mhm?" she hummed, giving him a loving glance before looking back to his neck and continuing her ministrations.  
"Why didn't you ever bring up the idea of us visiting some human place? Like you do with my medic and his assistant."  
Her brows raising, she looked into those crimson eyes again.  
"I honestly thought you wouldn't even consider using a holomatter avatar, so even when I did have thoughts like 'Wow it would be nice to bring Megatron here', I just reasoned with myself that it wouldn't be possible. I knew you were aware of holomatter generators but you never expressed a wish to use one and a cybertronian jet isn't exactly an inconspicuous altmode in a human city. So..."  
Y/n shrugged, then smiled.  
"And after, well, a few days ago I must admit that I was a bit air-headed to think of that."  
"Air-headed, you say?" the white-haired man asked, a smug smile appearing on his face. He knew exactly how he made her feel and how it messed with her head. What an evil guy.  
The girl smirked, nodding. The warlord gave her a pleased smile.  
"I see. Well, it is true that prior to now I had no need or inclination to use a holomatter avatar, let alone a human-looking one," he said thoughtfully, his fingers brushing against her side and sending a nice tingling feeling up her side and back, "But I can certainly see the appeal of using it now."

  
  
With those words, he leaned closer to her and covered her lips with his, momentarily smiling into the kiss in satisfaction as she happily returned it.

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
As steam rose up from the tea, both Y/n and Megatron sat at the table that stood further into her cabin where the kitchen area was.  
The young woman raised an eyebrow and nodded to the mug.  
  
"Well, take it."  
"I am aware how to hold it properly, I've watched you do it countless times," the man pointed out.  
"It'll be different for your hand, it's bigger than mine...like, a lot bigger," the girl countered with a wide smile. His hand was so ridiculously bigger than hers. Megaron raised an eyebrow and she smirked, moving her shoulder a little in a coquettish manner."I happen to like that a lot."  
"That is very good to hear," the man answered, his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he looked at her in a way that made her cheeks heat up despite her impressive self-control.  
Finally, the Decepticon leader took the mug, his index and middle fingers hooking around the handle as he held it up.  
"Okay, I admit, you do know how to h- Wait," Y/n gently touched his forearm when he was about to take a sip, the worry in her voice making him stop,"It's very hot still."  
The man gave her a doubtful look and she chuckled softly.  
"You have human lips right now, it's easy to get burned. If you do want to try and drink, be cautious at first. Please."  
The warlord threw a glance at the tea, then back at her, his eyes thoughtful.  
"Such fragile creatures you are," he murmured, his free hand finding hers and his fingers tracing the back of her hand before he took her hand. Holding hands was a simple thing but it made her heart start hammering away in her chest mercilessly. Her chest filled with happiness, she gently put her other hand on top of Megatron's.  
"We are. We're also known to cause trouble that is unproportionally huge to our small size."  
That earned her a chuckle.

 

  
  
*******  
  


 

 

  
It was evening and her cabin was full of laughs, smirks and chuckles.  
This was what she got for trying to give Megatron pointers on how to act in public.  
  
"No, you can't just tell an officer to let you have a fistfight and not interfere, we don't have Trial by combat," she chuckled. Honestly, half of Megatron's answers were dark humor at this point and she loved a very syllable of it. "Okay, say we run into my friends and one of them asks you how you usually handle it if one of your subordinates messes up."  
"I offline them so the others have proper motivation," the man sitting next to her on the couch answered, making her gasp a breathy laugh and roll her eyes.  
"Oh, hardy har."  
Megatron smirked.  
"You do know that I am well-spoken and very capable of lying."  
"I do, you have more years of experience at both of those things than all of my friends and family have been alive for,"  Y/n chuckled.  
"Exactly," the warlord nodded, "You can be confident in me."  
"I am," the young woman assured and did so sincerely, "It's just nice to have a little test-flight before seeing you act all human."  
"Very well then, I will humor you a bit more," Megatron agreed yet embers of mischief could be seen lighting up in his red eyes,"E-khem...Hey there, nice weather today."

  
Well, that was perfectly ordinary.

  
"When I was in the neighboring star system there was a meteor storm that nearly damaged my alien warship, so this is a nice change of climate."  
"Oh my dear lord," the girl hid her face in her hands as she laughed softly.  
"I am right here," an deep, amused voice came from beside her and she took her hands off her face and leaned closer to the man.  
"You indeed are, my dear lord," she crooned lovingly, pressing her forehead to his, earning an incredibly fond look from the warlord.

  
The 'human behavior' topic completely forgotten, the two spent the remainder of the evening in each other's embrace, soft, hushed talks and kisses taking up the majority of their time.  
  
  


  
*******

 

  
  
"You seem to be in especially high spirits today," the Decepticon lord noticed as they were in his quarters one morning, him drinking hot Energon and Y/n joining him with a big mug of tea.  
"I am," the girl agreed, smiling brightly, "It's the 1st of December. Winter has officially begun."  
"Ah," he nodded. So apparently the 'official' change of seasons was enough to make her joyful."You do know that you had the opportunity to travel anywhere on the planet if you wanted to experience winter weather."  
"Are you implying that I didn't think of that?' the girl raised an eyebrow and her attempt to intimidate him was adorable.  
"Well you _were_ somewhat _air-headed_ lately," he pointed out with a smug grin.  
"And you were somewhat _overwhelmed_ by recent events but you didn't forget how to fly, did you?" Y/n countered with a sly smile, making him raise an optic ridge now.  
"Point taken," he said, then sipped some more Energon, "So what is so special about it being the first of December?"  
"Well, I just love winter," the girl shrugged, "At home, I was always the one to bring out all the Christmas decorations as soon as the 1st of December came around. I'd put on music, prance around the house and when I'd be done, I'd find my winter-themed at-home clothes and- You get it," the girl chuckled, catching herself rambling, "I'm just strange that way. But even without all of that, I just like the weather and the realization that winter has officially begun."

  
Put on music and prance around? Y/n? That he'd like to see.

  
"Why not do the same at your current house here?" the warlord inquired.  
"I was actually planning to, but I hadn't gotten to buying decorations and everything else yet. I may groundbridge somewhere and do that today while you're on the observation deck. Come by later, I'm sure it'll be funny for you to see the cabin all decorated," the girl giggled, probably imagining that situation. She was just too endearing for her own good, the mech thought.  
"Actually," he said, making his voice sound thoughtful,"I was wondering if you would be willing to make this a mutual affair. I am curious, to be honest."  
"You...Ahah," the young woman laughed softly and, as her cheeks became slightly rosier, he couldn't help but think how lovely she was, how much he liked that she was so open with him by now, "I doubt that shopping for Christmas decorations will be a good way to start off your 'human' experience. But I would happily spend the day with you somewhere where it's already snowing."

  
His spark pulsed faster, spreading a warm, pleasant feeling through his chassis. _She would happily spend the day with him._

  
  
"It is decided, then," he nodded, keeping his expression calm and confident, the right corner of his metal lips quirked slightly upwards.  
  
Never would he have thought that he would one day consider acquiring a holomatter avatar and going somewhere among humans something akin to an adventure.  
Yet, there he was, curious and impatient. He couldn't give fewer frags about the humans, he was sure he would hate their constant presence, but he could endure and ignore that if it meant spending the day with Y/n.  
After all, he already used a holomatter avatar, why not use it as it was meant to be used in the first place and blend in with the unsuspecting humans?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pshhh.
> 
> I have a Twitter now.  
> It's real stupid. I sometimes tweet what I think about while writing/editing. Also, I tweet when a new chapter is out.
> 
> https://twitter.com/WD_Storyteller


	29. Palace In The North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n and Megatron take a trip to somewhere populated. It's cold there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've stumbled upon my old photos from when I visited Russia. And this chapter happened.  
> Next chapter will be plot progression. This chapter - wandering around the palace, talking about things and lots of flirting.  
> The palace - http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/04/12/2FC8E2AE00000578-0-image-a-20_1451910939978.jpg

 

( Wanna join Y/n and Megatron? Here's a map and a virtual tour so you can walk together with the couple as you read:

http://lynx-travel.com/Vacations/HAL%20Wester%20Aug05/St%20Petersburg/Catherines_Palace_Map.jpg

http://www.culture.ru/vtour/tsarskoe_selo/tsarskoe_selo_museum.html )

 

 

Y/n was sitting in Soundwave's servo, her heart beating fast in excitement as she looked at the map.

  
  
400 miles, that was the radius of the holomatter generator's functioning area. That was how far away a holomatter avatar can be from its controlling bot.   
Stupidly far.  
What amazing alien technology.  
  
This meant that, because the Nemesis was currently hovering over North Karelia, Finland, Y/n could choose almost all of Finland, part of Sweden, all of Estonia, part of Latvia and the north-west part of Russia as a place for a date-

  
  
A date.  
Well, it was actually just a walk with the warlord who was in a good enough mood to walk among other humans today.  
But her heart continued to insist that this was-

  
  
 _Anyway,_ she sat in Soundwave's servo, looking over the map. The weather was more or less similar everywhere, but there was one place where there was more snow than everywhere else now and where it has been snowing since November.  
No surprise, it was Russia.

  
  
"Soundwave, how close to the city can you drop us off if I pick Saint Petersburg?" the young woman inquired, looking at the dark mech with curiosity,"I don't want to trouble you much, it is a highly populated city and I wouldn't want to risk anything."  
The Communications Officer looked at her for a moment, cocking his head to the side a bit, then looked at the screen, where the map of Russia's northern capital was displayed. Dots began to appear in possible Groundbridge creation spots and the girl's brows raised, then furrowed slightly.  
"You sure? It _is_ a brightly glowing portal after all."  
The spymaster nodded, motioning to the screen with his free servo, his spindly digit pointing to the data describing the dimensions of the potential Groundbridge.  
"So you think because of the size it'll be okay, huh..." Y/n's eyes scanned the data and the map. Finally, a smile graced her lips. This technology was so cool, it never ceased to amaze her.  
Carefully weighing her options, she decided not to risk it still and groundbridge to an area not too close to the city's center. Actually, why not take a stroll in one of the most beautiful and recognized parks in Russia?  
"There," the girl pointed to the dot that got her attention, "The Catherine Park, Tsarskoe Selo. But I guess we'll have to make sure we won't groundbridge there at the same moment as someone walks by..."  
The mech gave her _a look_ and Y/n chuckled.  
"Sorry, sorry, I know that you're the best at what you do. I just...You know," she shrugged, sure that Soundwave _did_ know. If anybody picked up on everything that went on between her and Megatron, it was Soundwave. They never showed any explicit affection towards each other in his presence but neither did they try to act as if they were just host and guest. That would be an insult to the intelligence of a mech who was Megatron's spymaster.  
So yeah...he probably knew.

  
  
"Thanks, Soundwave," the girl said as the mech lowered her to the ground carefully,"Really, thanks for everything you do."  
She gave the Third-in-Command a warm look adorned by a genuine, soft smile and he just looked at her for a moment.   
Then, text flashed on his screen.

  
  
[Acknowledged. You are welcome.]

  
  
Oh, that make her glow. She already was happy and in love, so the Communications Officer's friendly(by Soundwave standartds) reply just made everything all the better.

  
"I hope you could join us sometime. Not necessarily in a human city, just somewhere for a walk," the girl offered.   
Even though she wanted nothing more than to spend time alone with Megatron right now, she liked spending time with Soundwave too and, seeing as the two were old friends, it would be nice to get Soundwave away from work for just a little for some quality time together. Or maybe she should offer Megatron to invite Soundwave to go, just the two of them. The young woman thought it was a shame that the two of them didn't seem to spend more time together because both of them - Soundwave especially - were often busy. You know, with an actual, literal war.   
Soundwave nodded in, what seemed to Y/n, consideration and rose to his full height, towering over her like a huge dark mountain of metal. Some diagrams and data flashed on his mask and a human-sized groundbridge appeared not 3 meters away from Y/n.   
A cold gust of wind reached her, making the girl close her winter coat and adjust her f/c scarf.

  
Walking towards the bright blue&green portal, the young woman took a moment to admire it. The colors, the science behind it, the fact how advanced it was compared to anything her race had-

 

  
A big hand gently touched her between her shoulder blades.  
As she looked to the left and up, _up_ and her eyes met Megatron's crimson ones she forgot the line of thought that she had just now.  
  
The human-looking warlord nodded towards the Groundbridge and carefully guided her through.

 

  
As they stepped onto the snow-covered road and the blue and green portal closed behind them, the bright winter sun blinded Y/n for a second. Blinking a few times, the girl looked around, a huge smile appearing on her face as her breath came out in light visible puffs.  
  
Everything was beautiful, breathtaking!   
The sky was a brilliant azure color and the fresh snow shined and shimmered everywhere. They stood in front of an iced-over and snow-covered lake, and the Catherine Palace and its gardens were behind them. It smelled like a forest here, but with a faint note of burning firewood. The sounds of bare tree branches swaying slightly, people talking somewhere further away and the steady trot of horses in the distance filled their ears. The cold winter air playfully(for now) bit at the exposed skin of her face and hands.  
That reminds her...

 

  
Turning to look at the Decepticon lord, Y/n saw that he was already looking at her attentively, as if studying her. The intense yet fond look made her heartbeat quicken instantly and a warm, somewhat even shy smile appeared on her lips. The man raised an eyebrow slightly, the hand on her back slowly moving as his arm hooked around her waist, pressing the her to him.  
"Your coat is open, you'll get cold easily that way," the young woman chuckled as she pressed her hands to the man's chest. She should close his coat. Oops, her hands slipped around his middle.  
"I don't see the reason behind the fascination with the cold," the warlord smirked, obviously happy with her actions, as he leaned down somewhat.  
"For one, you learn to appreciate everything that's warm more," she looked at him from under her eyelashes before standing on her tiptoes and kissing the man. A deep, rumbling sound came from his chest and she couldn't help but sigh into the kiss when he returned it in a way only Megatron could. Passionate, possessive, cherishing - everything at the same time, his strong arms holding her like he was keeping her away from the rest of the world, keeping her just for himself. It felt like the ultimate self-indulgence, giving everything of yourself up and feeling like you own the world simultaneously.  
As the girl opened her eyes after they drew apart, ruby eyes stared right into her soul, the emotion behind them both scarily powerful and heavenly warm. For that, she returned the look with one of her own loving ones and kissed him again. This time the kiss was a gentle, tender one that didn't last long but was no less potent in conveying emotion across.  
As they pulled apart, Y/n heard footsteps and voices approaching from a distance and chuckled lightly, still looking at the man with a lovestruck expression.  
"Megatron, please," she smiled as she carefully let her arms slide from around his torso and started buttoning up his coat.  
"I can't help it if you are so _distracting,_ " the warlord chuckled softly too.  
"Look who's talking," the young woman glanced down to the buttons and then back up at the red eyes, her lips quirking into a smirk. The man answered with a smug grin.  
  
As the girl took a step back and started putting on her gloves, a thoughtful hum escaped her.  
"And what if you get cold in that coat? I mean, it's holomatter, so how does that work? Do you just will a warmer set of clothes to appear?"  
"Normally," the man explained with no lack of smugness,"It could take weeks for a bot to envision and materialize clothing differing than that they first manifested with. At least, that was what I was told by Knockout when I started making elements of my wardrobe disappear. He seemed...shocked."  
"Oh, I'm sure he was," Y/n crooned, feeling no less proud of the mech than he was of himself. Though, the fact that Megatron possessed an outstanding mind and impressive willpower didn't surprise her in the slightest, she already knew that from countless talks with him and from the stories he had told her.  
Satisfied with her reaction, the man smiled and, turning towards the park and the palace, offered her his arm.

  
  
The warlord had done this since the first time he had used a holomatter avatar.   
The fact that Megatron researched something like this and chose to be so courteous made her just appreciate the mech all the more. There was no doubt that he had a penchant for acting regal (his subordinates called him 'Lord' and he had an actual throne on the observation deck, after all), but the fact that he had enough affection and respect for her to do these kinds of things made her feel ecstatic and beyond flattered. And very, very in love.

  
  
Taking his arm, Y/n reveled in how his expression softened for a moment when she pressed herself closer to him affectionately.   
  
As they started walking, a thought struck her.  
  
"So you said you made elements of your wardrobe disappear. What were they and why?"  
The Decepticon lord looked ahead and was silent for a moment.  
"I was told that humans do not usually wear shoulder armor."  
The young woman nodded. That should have been expected of Megatron, that there would be some kind of armor even on his avatar. He was a gladiator, a warrior, a commander of an army.

  
"I was also told that a skull as a belt buckle was too 'garish'."  
"Pfft, what?" she couldn't hold back a laugh as she looked at the man who stubbornly refused to look at her. She continued chuckling for a while after that.

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
Megatron did not enjoy extreme colds. Cybertronians didn't usually.   
Extreme cold had the potential to freeze the frame solid and even extinguish one's spark.

  
  
  
But this was no extreme cold. The mere -5 was enough to prickle his human-like holomatter skin for him to feel it but not enough to cause concern or make him think about danger instinctively.   
The weather was pleasant too, the scenery also. He hadn't been this close to such human architecture until now.  
Honestly, Megatron didn't care about human architecture. Or the people who used to live in palaces or those who plotted against them. Even less did he care about humans who were also in the park. If he had his way, he'd have them all removed so that he could enjoy the place with the only human who truly mattered.

  
  
Y/n's delicate gloved hand resting on his arm made him feel...like more of a lord. Like a lord in the meaning that it had in the Golden Age. Someone who would be walking through a palace made of gold somewhere in Iacon, someone revered and adored. Someone whose power was enough to protect and utterly spoil his lover.  
  
And Megatron, even if he wasn't some Iaconian noble, did have the power to treat Y/n properly. It was as much his wish to do it for her as it was a matter of pride.

  
Kaon had taught him that one had to take what one wanted and that was that Megatron always did. He was not into forcing himself onto femmes or mechs as that was not only disgusting because of the squirming that the victims would put up but because it reminded him of how he saw higher-ups treating some lower-caste bots when he was still a miner. So he despised the notion. Fortunately, he was _Megatron._ His fame in the gladiatorial arena and later as a revolutionary, and even later as the Decepticon lord usually meant that willing mechs and femmes threw themselves at him should he ever express the will to sate his baser needs. Their intentions varied, but his attitude stayed mostly the same. He took what he wanted and that was that. The need to be genuinely loved was not what Megaron let himself crave, that was just a stupid thing and the cost for it could be absurdly high in times of war. And even without the war, he was _Megatron._ Admitting that he needed someone's attention and affection was weakness. He did not do weakness.  
Until now. Until Y/n just appeared in his life and some time later he was just caught off-guard by the fact that he already was helm-deep in all these emotions.   
He never felt like this before, he never wanted to give, to impress, to prove to both his lover and himself that he was worthy of the priceless affection Y/n could give him. The affection he so craved and couldn't get enough of. What made it so priceless was how genuine it was and that it was _Y/n._ It felt so different when someone who he himself felt so fond of showed him affection, it felt like his spark was warmed each time she smiled at him, each time she did something to expressed how she cared for him.

 

  
  
Primus, this was madness.  
This was so good.  
He couldn't help it, he was past the point of no return now.

 

  
  
A gentle squeeze of his arm snapped him back to reality, back to the bright Energon-colored sky and white snow all around, back to Y/n looking at him with curiosity and well-covered worry.  
  
"No, it is nothing," Megatron shook his head, his calm gaze resting on the young woman.   
"You sure?" the girl asked softly, her e/c eyes looking into his own.  
"I am," the man nodded,"Do not worry."  
To encourage Y/n to let go of her worries, he put his hand on the one she had around his arm. That seemed to do the trick as the young woman smiled at him warmly.

  
  
They were walking down a path to the palace, bare-branched snow-covered trees to the both sides of them. Here and there, other people were walking about and Megatron was subconsciously thankful to Y/n for not picking a more crowded place to be their first outing among humans. He was a warrior in potential enemy territory, in a small holomatter avatar at that. Despite still seeing the humans around him as no more than squishy, mostly primitive and insignificant creatures, not able to harm him in any way, he still felt somewhat too aware of their presence. That may pass if he chooses to visit human-populated areas more often, but until now, he couldn't help but watch the area with a watchful eye of a seasoned warrior.   
  
The only thing that could distract him, was...well, whatever Y/n did.  
A gentle chuckle, a story about the place they were in, a gasp and a giggle upon seeing something that pleased her. Above all, her touches and the look in her beautiful e/c eyes. That could make him breathe easier, enjoy the moment and look around, taking in his surroundings.

  
  
"Tshh, Megatron, look," the girl stopped and whispered, immediately earning his attention, "I've heard about these, they are so used to humans that they let you touch them sometimes."  
Near the nearest tree a little furry creature sat, it's pointy ears raised in attention, its little black nose twitching slightly as it sniffed. Its coat was a reddish-brown color and its tail was comically big and fluffy in proportion to its body. A squirrel, Megatron thought to himself. They saw wild ones when taking walks with Y/n through forests.  
The girl carefully let go of his arm and got on her haunches slowly, taking something out of her pocket. As he raised his eyebrows, about to tell her that offering the creature food wouldn't work-

  
  
Oh, wait, it was already running towards them, leaving tiny little pawprints in the snow.

  
  
Looking up, the young woman called out to him with only her eyes and after a moment of internal debate his curiosity won and he also got on his haunches.  
Silently he watched as Y/n offered the tiny creature what seemed to be seeds of some kind. The squirrel moved in weird patterns. It took about tree jumps, stopped, looked at both of them, then repeated the process all over.   
Hop, hop, hop, stop, look. Hop, hop, hop, stop, look.  
  
Finally, the fluffy-furred creature reached them and, taking a look at Y/n's hand, grabbed a seed into its tiny paws, immediately beginning to eat it.   
"You came prepared," the lord mused and Y/n smiled, looking at the tiny thing in front of them.  
"I took a small handful of pumpkin seeds just in case because I knew that we'd probably end up in a park of some sort."  
Her voice was soft and barely elicited a reaction from the critter, it now being comfortable enough around them to just sit next to them, eating one seed after another.  
Suddenly, another squirrel climbed down the tree with remarkable speed and approached them much less cautiously.   
"Would you give me your hand?" Y/n suddenly asked and he offered his hand without hesitation. Her intentions became clear to him when she gave him part of the seeds. Megatron smirked.  
"I do not think-"  
  
A squirrel jumped onto his hand, beginning to eat while sitting right there. Y/n's expression was both happy and smug.  
  
"You do not think what?"  
"I do not think using me as a feeding station for critters is any way to earn my affection," he smirked.  
"Well it's definitely a way to earn _their_ affection," the girl smiled slyly as a third squirrel approached and a sparrow landed nearby.

 

  
  
They ended up spending a bit of time with the critters before continuing on their way. The warlord felt the little tingle of satisfaction when Y/n returned her hand to his arm when he offered. Yes, this definitely felt right.  
  
  
  


 

*******

 

  
  
  
After a stroll in the park, the two reached the Catherine Palace. The marvelous palace was the color of the sky itself, with white pillars and window frames, its roof colored white by snow, gold decorations shining in the sun.

  
  
As they approached the entrance, the sounds of dozens of voices in different languages grew louder and Y/n took a deep breath, getting ready to switch to her usual behavior when in crowded places. The soft inhale and the slight stiffening of her shoulders didn't escape Megatron who was also seemingly morally readying himself to the proximity of humans - something Y/n knew he probably wouldn't enjoy much.

  
  
"You seem uneasy," the man said softly as he leaned slightly down to her and the young woman couldn't help but chuckle, a barely noticeable nervous note to her voice.  
"After living on the Nemesis, being among humans is...Well, I usually need a moment to adjust."  
Realization flashed in the man's eyes.  
"You feel their presence," Megatron mused.  
"I do," the girl nodded,"I can block it out after a moment of adjustment and I usually focus on the presence of my friends when I'm out somewhere."  
"So can you focus on me then?" the lord inquired, sounding interested and slightly worried. Y/n gave him a warm, fond smile.  
"I'm focusing on you regardless where we are," she cooed, making the warlord smirk and give her an affectionate look, "But you don't have to worry, as I said, I'm used to this, it doesn't bother me."  
Megatron nodded, but the interest in his eyes remained, making Y/n smile a little sly smile.  
"You forgot about my..." the girl made an abstract gesture with her free hand, "...condition, didn't you?"  
The warlord chuckled softly in amusement.  
"You seem to make it a point not to point out how much more superior you are to other humans."  
"I am not superior, I'm just...different," the young woman rolled her eyes playfully even though Megatron's voice pleased her ego.  
"Ah, but we both know that you _are_ superior," the man insisted, his voice like dark honey pouring over her soul and Y/n closed her eyes, smiling and shaking her head slowly, but not saying a word.

  
They walked up the stairs and, sneaking a glance at her companion, the young woman couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. A palace, a partner at her side, and _what_ a partner at that - someone who's stature and posture made her feel like some noblewoman being escorted by a general...Oh, wait. She _was_ being escorted by a general, a Decepticon lord no less. The girly side of her was so giddy that she had to look forward again just to stop herself from smiling like an idiot.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
As they entered, they were greeted by the sight of people buying tickets, people hanging around the foyer, people walking in and out, Russian people, people of other nationalities, locals from the cities nearby, tourists from far away, guides and their groups, children, middle-aged, elderly - people, people, people. Humans everywhere.  
Megatron humphed quietly in distaste and heard a chuckle to the right of him. Oh, so Y/n found his predicament amusing, did she?

  
  
"Are you amused by my misery?" he looked at the young woman, raising an eyebrow to add to his seemingly offended look.  
"Be nice," the girl smirked but then squeezed his arm lightly, her expression becoming kinder and more understanding,"We can go back to the park if you're uncomfortable here."  
The day when a bunch of humans would cause him to change his plans would be the day his spark changes color to pink and explodes.  
"No, I am fine," he assured, "Let us go."  
The young woman offered him a smile and led him to the wardrobe area. 

  
"Does it feel weird?" Y/n asked, her e/c eyes curious as he grudgingly made his gray coat disappear, staying in his dark gray pants and white dress shirt.  
"It feels like I am without any armor and that is a very unusual feeling," the lord said flatly, not enjoying the fact that not only did he have to get rid of his shoulder armor but now his coat. The only place he felt comfortable doing that was when he was in Y/n's house, on the Nemesis.  
His companion gave him a slightly apologetic look and, taking him by the hand, led him from behind a pillar where they stood for him to discreetly discard the coat. He squeezed her hand affectionately. Good, he could be gracious and disregard the horde of humans if he had this.  
As they approached a counter, Y/n took off her gloves, scarf and coat and handed them to a strict-looking Russian woman who gave her a coin of some sort in return. Catching his curious glance, the girl offered him the coin. Upon inspection, he saw that it had a hole in it and a number on it. Connecting the dots, the man gave Y/n back the wardrobe number plate.  
  


  
They walked up the luxurious staircase, the painted ceiling watching over them with the eyes of angels and cupids, the bright winter sunshine coming in through huge windows and the soft, deep red carpet making their footsteps quiet.  
"You probably know everything you need from the internet?" Y/n asked in a hushed tone when they passed a group of tourists, "Or would you like to listen to the tour guide?"  
"The only one I wish to listen to is you," Megatron answered, walking past the tourists and their guide without giving them so much as a glance. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Y/n smiling at him.

  
They passed two exposition rooms and found their way into the Great Hall just as a tourgroup left, leaving them among the few people there. Gold, gold everywhere, shining in the sunlight. All the gold and high, huge windows reminded the warlord of Iacon somewhat. Or of what Iacon was before the war, before the Decepticons took the city upon the Autobot's retreat.  
Trying not to think of the ruins that was his planet(he would find a way to restore it someday, he still intended to rule it after all), the man looked at Y/n who went slightly ahead, looking over everything and looking through the windows into the courtyard.   
  
All these riches became her, Megatron thought to himself.   
He wished that all these people would just vanish, leave the palace to them.  
A thought occurred to him as he watched her in this golden hall. Just then, his companion turned to look at him, asking him if he was alright.  
The warlord nodded and continued looking around the hall, sometimes citing interesting facts from the internet and sometimes listening to what Y/n knew on some detail or another.

  
  
Eventually, as they heard another group approaching the Great Hall, they proceeded to the next room, keeping their movement just so that they always entered a room after a group and left before another entered. It suited them both as neither was enthusiastic about being trapped in a room with a bunch of people.

  
The Cavaliers' Dining Room and the White State Dining Room area were interesting to see just because it was the first time Megatron noticed the huge blue and white stone structures. Y/n pointed out that those were in actuality a heating system and if not every, then every other room in the palace had at least one because it could get really cold in this part of the world. So cold, in fact, that two great wars ended in Russia's favor when the generals used the freezing weather against their enemies.  
Megatron raised an eyebrow and even though he hadn't the faintest interest in human history and their petty little wars, he still could appreciate, if even a little, when a good strategy was used. Perhaps, Megatron could use the Earth's varying climate zones to his advantage at some point?...Who knows. Right now, he didn't really want to even think about the Prime and his rag-tag team.

  
  
They passed a small but no less gold-adorned Crimson Pilaster Room before entering the Green Pilaster Room. The gold and riches were the same, but his companion pointed out that there were decorations here that would have been seen as amazing and a novelty that only the most wealthy could have acquired. There were two statues on each side of a luxurious loveseat, dark-skinned humans in golden clothing and baskets of fruits on their heads. That had to come from overseas, somewhere to the southeast, maybe. The vases too, Y/n pointed out, had to be from somewhere east, they looked like Chinese vases so either it was a gift to the royal family from some merchant or a gift from some official from China.   
  
"Oh, I'm rambling again, aren't I?" the girl looked at him and chuckled, slightly embarrassed.   
"Please do," the lord encouraged, nodding calmly, "As I said, I was intending to listen to you speak."  
If he knew Y/n somewhat less he would have missed the spark of appreciation that flashed in her e/c eyes as she gave him a look, as if making sure that he meant what he said.  
"Well," the young woman slowly continued, returning her gaze to the green, white and gold walls, "It's all speculation at this point, we don't quite know how most of these rooms looked like, especially these smaller ones. All of this is restored, after all. Only few things from the original furnishings survived."

 

  
  
Oh right. He had seen the photos in the Exposition rooms. The palace was in ruins once, after the revolution and the murder of the royal family and after World War II. He already forgot, really. He didn't care for human history, after all.  
What he _did_ care about was the wonder and thoughtfulness in Y/n's eyes, it made him invested in what she was telling him about at least for the moment when she talked. He wondered, how would it have been if he brought her to Cybertron and showed her something like this-  
  
Then again, there wasn't much left to look at.   
Per his orders, the Decepticons mostly spared the Hall of Records and some landmarks from the Golden age, but even if they were mostly spared, they still bore scars of war and time no doubt clawed and chewed on them like a pack of feral nitrotigers.  
The current look of his homeworld would do nothing but sadden Y/n to no end, hethought.

 

  
  
The noises from the approaching tourist group grew closer and they proceeded into the Portrait Room.  
Megatron actually smirked when he saw the clothing on the mannequin.  
"Yeeah, that doesn't look comfortable," Y/n chuckled lightly, looking over Empress Catherine's dress, "You have to appreciate color scheme and the detail on the embroidery, though. Also, cybertronians used mantles somewhat similar to these, right?"  
"In the Golden Age, mostly," Megatron answered, looking over the utterly ridiculous dress, trying to wrap his processor around how the human brain worked that something as impractical and uncomfortable as this would ever be considered attractive, "In my time they were very rarely used, mostly as a ceremonial piece. Knock-offs of such things were commonplace in private parties attended by vain nobles, I heard. Only there would also be all kinds of gemstones from different planets and sometimes even pieces of Energon of the highest clarity."

  
  
Funny, he wasn't usually this talkative on matters of Cybertron. Then again, this was Y/n.  
Looking at the young woman, he caught her attentive gaze and grinned.

  
  
"I imagine you would look appropriately regal in something like that," the man nodded to the mantle,"But not that dress. Primus, what is your species' major malfunction?"  
That made his companion break out into laughter and oh how it soothed him, like a wave of warmth washed over his spark, reaching even the dustiest corners of it, corners he forgot existed.  
Y/n looked at him, her slightly creased up eyes catching the sunlight and shining brilliantly, more captivating than all the gold in the room.  
"Well I'm not sure a yellow mantle with the crest of the Russian Empire would suit me, but I'll see what I can do to get some sort of mantle. Even if I will look silly running around the Nemesis in something like that."  
The girl chuckled and proceeded into the next room, gesturing to him with a graceful, flowing move of her hand to follow her, no doubt amused by his words. The Decepticon lord's lips quirked up slightly up as he followed her into the Amber Room.

  
  
The Amber Room, true to its name, was made of amber. Everywhere, amber and gold, hundreds of shades of yellow and brown glowing, and tall, narrow mirrors reflecting the light from the windows.   
This and that Great Hall, Megatron thought, the nobles of Cybertron would have probably liked those, vain and greedy slaggers that they were.  
Megatron himself was at least somewhat impressed, at least so far as to imagine his partner, yet again, strolling through the place with only him around. Maybe she could even be in a dress. Not that ridiculous one from the room before this one, but one that only served to show off her beauty and the grace of her movements.  
For a second, he entertained the thought of just simply taking over Earth and giving Y/n every beautiful place on it, from royal palaces to the lush forests and lakes that she loved so much.  
Of course, that was out of the question, he wasn't on Earth for that and his dear Y/n would definitely be against the hostile takeover of her planet. But the thought still amused the warlord.

 

  
Next came the Picture Hall. He didn't protest even for manners' sake when Y/n caught on onto his boredom and led him into the next room. Megatron didn't have anything against paintings _per se_ , but when almost all of them were of humans he just couldn't and didn't want to bring himself to care.

  
  
They passed the Small White Dining Room, Alexander I Drawing Room and the Pantry relatively quickly, mostly making passing comments on one thing or another or just making little quips they usually made when engaging in relaxed conversation.  
They touched upon the subject of wars and morals and as he expected, even some of his obviously watered-down opinions did not sit well with Y/n. She spoke respectfully yet there was a passion behind her eyes and her numerous mentions that she didn't have any experience in war did not stop her from disagreeing with some of his, already softened for her sake, views. And thought her views were more cynical than Prime's, they were still undoubtedly closer to his than to Megatron's own actual views. Even still, he enjoyed the short debate but ultimately, despite being sure that he could lead the conversation confidently, he decided to end it before they ventured into unpleasant or dangerous territory.

  
"I see our relationship has not diminished your willingness to participate in honest debates," the warlord mused, giving the young woman a sly look, his red eyes narrowed slightly. She looked back at him with a kind smile and her back straightened slightly more, making her look proud and no less regal than the rooms around her.  
"If anything, I would be even more willing to engage in similar debates with you, I want to know more about the opinions of someone who I care so much about," she answered, her voice soft and warm despite her posture, "Or did you think I would become a lovestruck unopinionated mess by now?"  
"Never even entertained the idea," the man honestly answered, the right corner of his lips quirking upward in a pleased half-smile,"Be assured that I do not need you to lack your own opinions. After all, our little evening talks were the reason I grew fond of you in the first place."  
The girl sighed quietly, looking at him so affectionately that he felt his spark skip a beat and then each following pulse sending waves of pleasure through him.  
Coming up to her, he took her delicate hand into his own and led her into the next room, happy with how the conversation had ended.

  
  
In the Green Dining Room, Megatron looked at the walls and the sculptures of partially nude humans and that made him think of how Y/n would- _No._ Switching to another thought he asked, looking over the white marble wall decorations in slight confusion and distaste:  
"What is your species' obsession with immortalizing your protoforms?"  
"Hm?" the girl looked at him, then understanding flashed in her eyes and she smiled, looking back at the room,"Well, you have statues of famous cybertronians too, right? It's just that your protoform is covered by your armor at all times, like a second, more durable skin. Humans don't have that. We can acquire armor if we need it, of course, but unlike for you for us it would be extremely uncomfortable to wear armor at all times as our 'protoform' is soft and fleshy and needs fresh air to feel good. In countries where it is mostly hot all the time, wearing armor all the time would basically be torture. This type of art came from a country where it is mostly very warm, actually..."

  
  
The girl briefly told him about the Greek and Roman concepts of beauty, how the human form was to be celebrated and admired.

  
  
"Personally," the young woman sighed, then gave him a sly smile,"I always liked looking at impressive sets of armor more."  
"Well now you are just flattering me," the man raised an eyebrow and returned the smile with one of his own satisfied ones.  
"Never, my dear lord," Y/n flashed him a wide smile,"I speak nothing but the truth."  
With that and a soft, enticing chuckle, she continued into the next room and he followed close behind.

  
  
The Butlers' Pantry, the Blue State Drawing Room and the Chinese Blue Drawing Room were passed quickly as they offered not much in Megatron's eyes aside from a change of color andeven more portraits of humans. The ceilings were impressive, with large paintings covering them and depicting scenes from myths and legends if Y/n was to be believed. But aside from that, they didn't spend much time there.

 

  
They walked around the private apartments for a while and, in typical Y/n fashion, the thing that impressed her the most was how much detail was put into decorating the fireplace in the room near the Royal Bedchamber.   
"Just look at the craftsmanship," the girl whispered reverently, "I'm not saying I would kill for something like this, but would you be willing to hide a few bodies, say, on Saturn?"  
Megatron smirked, the joke genuinely amusing him. His companion gave him a smile and there was something behind her e/c eyes, some kind of worry or sadness, but the next moment it was gone and she was off to the next room.  
He would have to ask her about that later, he thought.

  
They found a couple of small but pleasant rooms like the Sculpture Study and the Painting Study. They weren't drowning in gold as much as the other rooms, but they were bright and both Y/n and Megatron agreed that they were nice little rooms for relaxing.

 

  
  
As they were walking down the stairs, Megatron decided to humor himself and asked:  
"So if this palace was yours to have, what would you do first?"  
Y/n raised an eyebrow and chuckled, then hummed thoughtfully," I'd invite Soundwave to a tea party. If he was willing to use a holomatter avatar, at least."  
"Soundwave?" Megatron mused, feigning surprise,"How is it that you thought of inviting my Communications Officer before me?"  
"Because you wouldn't need an invitation, as far as I would be concerned you could consider my palace to be your palace," the young woman pointed out and he could feel himself leaning slightly down to her.  
"Ah, is that so?" he inquired, his voice deepening a bit.  
"It is," Y/n leaned closer to him as well, their shoulders now touching lightly, her eyes looking at him fondly.  
Primus, he adored her.

 

  
  
They walked down to the foyer only to see that the wardrobe area was crowded with people, the strict-looking Russian woman sternly and loudly commanding the crowd to get in line and the people in the crowd trying to sneak and push their way through. As he let a slightly annoyed expression rest on his face, he heard the young woman chuckle.   
"I'll be right back," she promised, the confident glint in her eye intriguing the lord.  
He watched as Y/n walked around the crowd, to the counter. She then calmly walked to where the woman that took the wardrobe number plates was standing, gave him a lighthearted wave, gave the woman a wave, then shrugged when there was no reaction and proceeded to go grab her coat, put the number plate in its place and walk out.

  
It was so easy to forget that his lover was not only unique due to her personality and mind, but also because she was a cybertronian proxy. Now, watching it with his own eyes, seeing how different she was from the rest of her species, Megatron couldn't help but be pleased with himself for deciding to bring her to the Nemesis all those months ago. Not only because she grew to be someone who he now had unprecedented affection towards, but also because she was really, truly in his eyes the best that humanity had to offer.   
He really needed to encourage her to be more proud of herself, her humble attitude made even him forget why it was that she was so different from the other humans. Then again, her modesty was something that he found endearing too.

  
"That didn't take long, right?" she asked mischievously and oh he could just kiss her right now.  
He would, as soon as they got out of this crowded place.  
"Indeed it did not," he said in a praising tone and the slight blush that adorned his companion's smiling face was a wonderful sight to see,"Come, let us go."  
As they left the foyer, it only took a moment for them to pass behind one of the pillars for the gray coat to be on him again.   
They stepped outside and the cold wind blew in his face. Beside him, Y/n took a deep breath and, upon looking at her, he saw her smiling as she took another deep breath of frosty air.

 

  
  
"I still do not understand your fascination with the cold and frozen water crystals," Megatron said, raising an eyebrow slightly.  His lover just smiled, shrugged and readily took his arm when he offered, the both of them proceeding to walk down the stairs and back into the park.  
"So...Was that not too horrible of an experience?" Y/n asked as they walked, the snow crunching under their feet softly.   
"It was not horrible," the warlord assured,"Though I can't say that I am as invested in your species' history as you are in mine, I did find this trip enlightening."  
His companion nodded.  
"I also enjoyed spending the time with you in such a new setting," he decided to admit and the way his lover pressed closer to him was his reward.  
"I can say the same," the girl agreed, her e/c eyes glowing with warmth towards him.  
"Would you like to go anywhere else or should we return to the Nemesis?" Megatron inquired as they made their way to the part of the park that seemed less populated. Y/n's eyes became thoughtful for a moment before she looked back up at him.  
"I wouldn't mind us drinking a cup of tea at home, actually, but if you'd like to go somewhere first then let's do that."  
"No, no," the warlord shook his head slightly,"I would also rather be done with public outings for today."

 

  
  
 _My avatar also feels cold right now,_ he thought, slightly annoyed. Why did humans have to be so fragile?

 

  
  
  
Y/n nodded.  
"Then we should contact Soundwave and ask...him..."

  
His lover's words became quieter as Megatron stopped them both and leaned down to her. As his lips touched her soft ones and his arms locked her in an equal parts possessive and protective embrace, the girl seemed to melt in his arms, melt into him, returning his kiss with all the tenderness and warmth she could give him this cold evening.  
Her arms slipped around his neck, her body was pressed against his and he couldn't wait until they were in the cabin to just be able to feel her closer. Visible puffs of air escaped from between their lips when the lord deepened the kiss and his lover accepted, her gloved hand tracing patterns into the nape of his neck. The contrast between the cold air and the passionate kiss was something new and it almost made Megatron appreciate the freezing weather.  
When he let Y/n pull slightly back, she gave him a fond look before suddenly playfully kissing his cheek.  
"Let's go home and get you warmed up," the young woman smiled and Megatron was about to protest that he wasn't cold before the knowing look in his lover's eyes made him reconsider. So he just nodded and contacted Soundwave.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
Less than 15 minutes ago she was in Russia.  
Now, she was on a flying warship that was hovering above south-east Finland.  
  
Y/n wasn't sure that she would ever stop being impressed by how that was possible.  
Right now, however, she had more important thoughts.

  
  
She stood in the kitchen area of her cabin, her winter coat and boots already off, and poured some hot water into two mugs. Megatron's avatar didn't need to eat but he could feel taste and heat, so the hot drink would do him good right about now. 

  
Just as she put down the kettle, two strong arms encircled her middle and Megatron's breath could be felt right above her ear, making her heart rate quicken.  
Forcing herself not to think about...things, now, the young woman leaned back into the man's chest with a small pleased sigh, her eyes closing.  
"Megatron?" she called out softly,  
"Hrm?" the lord made a sound right above her ear and it took genuine effort to breathe normally.  
"I really like your human avatar, but would you be against switching to your mech one for a bit?"  
A pleased chuckle was her answer, the rumble in the warlord's chest making her feel all warm and good on the inside. She had felt it when the holomatter avatar changed form and the hard surface of Megatron's chassis against her back felt wonderful as far as she was concerned. Carefully turning around in the powerful metal arms that now held her, the young woman looked up and into the steel-colored mech's crimson optics.  
Digits that were more like talons slowly, carefully dragged up and down her back, almost making her shiver from pleasure. Standing up on her tip-toes, the girl raised her hands and let them carefully slip under the sides of the lord's helm, caressing the metal of his faceplate affectionately and earning a deep purring hum from him as the mech's optics became half-lidded, their light warmer.

 

  
  
 _You are the most amazing, handsome being I have ever seen,_ she thought, her gaze traveling from his optics to his lips and then back up again, her heart aching from how much she was in love with him, each thump sweet and torturous. _Heavens, I love you so much it hurts._

 

  
  
Her eyes seemed to tell Megatron what she was thinking and in an instant, his metal lips were on hers, his servos pressing her soft body to his hard, unyielding one. She could feel his engines rumble quietly, the vibrations in his chassis reaching her chest and stomach with how tightly she was pressed against him right now.   
"My dear Y/n," the mech purred, but then cut his sentence short, not able to resist the urge to kiss her again. And again. Again, until her head was spinning from the lack of oxygen and from how fast her heart was beating. Blinking away the slight haze, feeling utterly drunk on the warlord's affection, the girl still couldn't help but press her lips to his scarred ones once again, even if lightly and momentarily.

  
  
Eventually, they ended up on the couch and under a blanket, Megatron back in his human-looking avatar because he could barely fit on the couch even while 'human'. With no place beside the Decepticon lord, Y/n lay on top of him and she had no intention of complaining. On the contrary, the man's chest was broad and warm, and she happily rested her head on it as Megatron's hands lay on the small of her back.   
They talked about things. About how her experiences with killing people made it hard to just joke about it but how she still tried not to let that hinder her in saying the things she wanted to say and be herself. About how the palace reminded him of the nobles' quarters in Cybertron's capital and how he, unfortunately, couldn't show Y/n anything more than images and holograms if he wanted to show her the beautiful things that Cybertron once had to offer.

  
They also talked about more lighthearted things. Like Megatron teaching her some Cybertronian games she had the opportunity to read about. Or like Megatron describing the kinds of human movies that he probably wouldn't scoff at and Y/n wondering out loud about the possible matches that she knew of.

  
  
With time, their voices grew softer, their eyelids heavier. Nuzzling into the warlord's chest and feeling his hold on her tighten slightly, Y/n sighed in sleepy satisfaction and let herself fall asleep.  
  
  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the trip!   
> I won't be doing these kinds of long tour-type chapters often but sometimes when you want to explore places with a handsome mech, you just have to I guess :D
> 
> Also, I HAVE A TWITTER (FOR SOME REASON) O.O
> 
> https://twitter.com/WD_Storyteller


	30. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starscream makes a proposition he thinks may interest Y/n.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to https://twitter.com/DesEmily , who made doodles inspired by the last chapter. They're so cool, go check them out ;)
> 
> My twitter, as everyone knows by now, is https://twitter.com/WD_Storyteller . I tweet when a new chapter is out so that's something:D

 

Oh this was bliss.

  
  
She had more money than she ever had and she had spent the whole of the 2nd of December hopping between Groundbridges to different parts of the world for some Christmas shopping.  
Tinsel garlands, strings of lights, wreaths, holiday linens and even some beautiful holiday dishware she saw in Germany and couldn't leave without. The young woman collected tree ornaments from all the places she visited that day, and that included New York, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo and Stockholm.  
Not only that, she took the time and visited her parents' house and traded them a few shiny new decorations for old and familiar ones that Y/n would be putting around the cabin to bring some familiarity and warm fuzzy memories there. She also stayed, of course, to decorate the house and have dinner with her parents, so when she returned to the Nemesis, a small box of ornaments in her hands, her mood was as good as it could be.

  
As the girl walked into the cabin, she almost tripped over the spruce tree she had brought in earlier. It was an especially amusing conversation between her and Soundwave when she requested he open the Groundbridge directly near her cabin so that she wouldn't have to drag a tree too far. Her enhanced strength made it so that it wasn't the tree's weight that would complicate things, instead, it was the sheer fluffiness of the soon-to-be Christmas tree, its branches poking at Y/n every time she made a step.  
The spruce was a beautiful one though, its bluish green color pleasing to the eye and its fresh, slightly tarry smell quickly filling the cabin to the girl's utter delight.

  
Making a mental note to go back to the forest and plant a few new trees in the spring, the young woman set the box to the side and decided to begin with putting up the tree.  
When that was done, it was a matter of sweeping and vacuuming all the needles and putting up some appropriate music. A playlist containing both instrumental pieces and her favorite Christmas songs would do nicely, it was also the one she used when helping to decorate her parents' home. Beginning to hum to the music, she got into a comfy red knitted dress and some winter-themed leggings and got to work with a spring in her step.  
The cabin was a small one to begin with and she didn't want to overdo it with the decorations, that would just make everything look garish and make her look overly obsessed with the holiday. There had to be a perfect balance, she thought, to bring the winter holiday spirit to the place but not overdo it.  
A wreath on the door, some candle-shaped lights in the windows. Replace the tablecloth with the one she bought in NewYork, switch the dishware to the holiday one from Berlin, throw a couple new pillows from Moscow on the couch. A winter-themed blanket from Paris in the bedroom, a snowglobe and a small deer figurine from Tokyo on the fireplace, a vintage and beautiful glass ball from home hanging from the lamp in the living room area.

  
  
Now. The tree.

  
  
  
_Knock-Knock._

  
  
Huh, it was past midnight already. Then that means it could only be...

  
  
"You don't have to knock, you know," Y/n said as she opened the door and looked up into red optics with a smile,"You are always welcome to come in."  
Megatron gave her a half-grin as she stood aside, letting him in and closing the door afterwards. The mech looked around the room like one would look around somewhere new.  
"I see you did not lie about your winter habits," he mused, then turned around to face her. The next moment, there she was, hugging the mech tightly and feeling his servos around her.  
"I did not," the girl smiled,"I thought you would be getting ready for recharge right about now."  
"I just finished reading some reports from Soundwave," the steel-colored mech sighed and she felt his face and helm nuzzling into her hair,"We got what we could from the mine. We have left Finland about an hour ago, actually."  
Reaching up and standing up on her tiptoes, the young woman let her hands slip between the warlord's armor plates and rub his the neck cables soothingly, applying some strength to make the touch not too light for someone with living metal for skin. A quiet, pleased rumble reverberated in the mech's chassis and his digits lightly scratched her back.  
"Should I turn off the music and lie down with you?" Y/n offered softly, knowing that that was the best way to get the mech to relax and sleep.  
"No, I knew you would be doing this. I was actually thinking you would let me enjoy the sight of you fussing around decorating trees, windows and whatnot," the Decepticon lord smirked, now sounding a bit more relaxed than when he first came in. Y/n chuckled.  
"Sure. I was just about to decorate the tree, actually. You can rest on the couch while I 'fuss around'."

  
  
And that was what they did. Megatron sat on the couch, easily taking up the majority of it now that he was in his natural-looking form and Y/n continued with her task of opening boxes with ornaments.  
"Now, I wasn't sure what color scheme would be dominant," the young woman said, looking at her guest,"What abooout...Red, silver and a tinge of purple?"  
The warlord smirked, yet his optics glowed in satisfaction.  
"Am I to be part of your house decorations?"  
"Well you will certainly fit very well color-wise," Y/n grinned and turned to one of the boxes, taking out a shimmering silvery garland and starting to place it on the tree.  
"I was once told there would be singing," she heard Megatron remind and looked from around the tree to give him a sly smile.  
"Humming."  
"I will accept humming if it will gradually become singing," the mech raised an optic ridge slightly.  
"You never heard me sing, what makes you think you would enjoy it?" Y/n chuckled.  
"I have reason to believe I would. I do like your voice quite a lot, after all," the lord said, his deep voice rumbling and his optics looking at her in a way that told her that he was being charming on purpose. Giving him an 'I see what you're doing' look, the girl slowly disappeared behind the tree again.

  
A moment later, she started humming to the song, eventually relaxing enough to do so in a manner she usually did, tender tone and sweet notes and all.  
The mech on her couch seemed to enjoy watching her, even enough so that at the end of it he lifted her up for her to put the star on top of the tree. Of course, he was rewarded for that with a series of kisses.

 

  
  
  
*******  


 

  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you around guys," Y/n threw over her shoulder as she flew out of the medbay, making sure they saw a little spin she made before vanishing behind the corner. Her mood was a calm, good one. It was a week into December and she had spent her evenings with Megatron while her days were usually spent in the medbay with the medic and his assistant, polishing her flying skills.

  
Oh, how she loved flying. The air in her face, the freedom of it, the amazing, incredible alien technology giving her the opportunity to glide soundlessly and gracefully.

  
  
The flying training sessions now felt as if they were normal hangouts, with Knockout giving additional pointers while she was fooling around with her wings and the duo of mechs sometimes pausing when she performed a new trick, faint worry flashing momentarily in their optics. The experience of her first days of flying left both the mechs and her having learned things about themselves and each other, but other than that the nasty memories of those times were washed away by time and enjoyable jokes. After all, comedy comes from misery and the trio enjoyed their fair share of dark humor. And no one could say that Y/n wasn't able to laugh at her own misfortunes if it was meant in good-natured jest or as a sarcastic remark.

 

  
  
Raising altitude to the hall's ceiling and then gliding down gently, she flew by a couple of Vehicons who by this point paid her no mind. Speaking of Vehicons, Steve wanted to come over together with Bob, Neil, and Kody. She should probably text him-  
  
The sound of familiar heel struts reached her ears.  
Oh shit.

 

  
  
Starscream was about half a hall and a turn away and she could probably evade him if she took a turn in the opposite direction. But her room lay behind the seeker and she was not going to let herself get turned around because of fear.  
She was still unnerved by the Second-in-Command and her limbs still remembered the pain he had once caused her, but her pride and stubbornness wouldn't let her back away. This was the usual feeling she faced when running into Starscream and she always forced herself to stay calm and not show the silver mech any signs of nervousness.  
Starscream was a dick, so if he saw the slightest sign of weakness in her she wouldn't live it down and her life would get complicated.  
So, like every prior time, she reasoned with herself that this was how it had to be done and reminded herself that she had once caused an adequate amount of trouble for the seeker and had _Megatron himself_ on her side.  
Those thoughts and a deep breath before Starscream came into view helped a little.

  
  
As soon as the seeker saw her his optics narrowed.  
"Ah, if it isn't Y/n," he said and the girl didn't like his voice one bit. Even his 'ah's, the sound she so liked hearing Megatron make, sounded sneaky and untrustworthy like the mech making the sound. Superiority and disgust always bled through his words no matter what the seeker said to her.  
"Starscream," she nodded coldly in greeting, intending on now being able to fly past him and hoping that he wasn't in the mood for (not)witty remarks. She really didn't enjoy conflicts and ones with Starscream made her feel like someone sprayed her in the face with some disgustingly-smelling perfume.    
  
Keeping her altitude somewhere at about the mech's optic level, the young woman was about to fly past him when the seeker stopped and spoke to her, his voice just a tinge less haughty.  
"We need to talk, human."  
She contemplated for a second. Then, stopping her movement and hovering in front of the SiC, she looked at him inquiringly.  
"Do we?" she asked, keeping her voice neutral despite having no good feelings towards Starscream whatsoever. No reason to stoop to his level, though.  
"Yes," the seeker's optics narrowed again, "As much as my seeker nature is offended by a human flying around the ship, I am of the opinion that we need to discuss...a few things."

  
  
Y/n forced herself not to smirk at the _poor offended seeker's_ words but raised an eyebrow to let him know that his words did sound rather dumb to her. Anyway, he wanted to talk? Stuff?

  
"If you want to talk, let's talk," she nodded, crossing her arms as she hovered in front of the mech, her wings spreading slightly wider - an involuntary signal from her brain.  
"Well you're not expecting us to talk _here,_ are you?" the silver mech scoffed. Y/n wasn't affected by his expression, still focused on learning of whatever Starscream wanted and going about her business.  
"As far as I know, Lord Megatron has forbidden you to even approach me so I'm not sure what you are expecting to happen, telling me that we need to talk."  
The seeker gave her an angry look, his long, sharp digits moving in irritation.  
"Will you leave Megatron out of this? I just want to talk, you stubborn human femme."  
"Excuse me for not being thrilled about the idea of the two of us spending time alone," she answered, irony seeping from each syllable.  
"No need to be scared, little human."  
"I'm not scared of you, Starscream. I just don't trust you."

  
  
The SiC rolled his optics and glowered at her in discontent.

  
  
"Listen, if you're _that_ worried I will attack you I can just sit in the opposite corner of the room."  
"And why am I supposed to believe you will actually do as you are saying?" she raised an eyebrow.  
"Pits, you can keep your puny little phone thing on speed dial for Soundwave or even Megatron himself for all I care. Will. You. Just. Stop. Being. So. Complicated. Human?"

  
They shared a long look before Y/n made a decision.

  
"...You want to do it now?"  
"The sooner I will be done with this slag the better."  
"Fine. Lead the way."  
"Finally."

 

  
  
*******

 

 

  
  
_Listen, I need a favor._

  
_HandsomeRedDevil: What is it, doll?_  
_I-Break-Stuff: Yeah?_

  
  
_Short version: Starscream wanted to talk. I agreed. You can tell me I'm stupid later. Right now, I need you to be on standby._

_If I call you, that means slag hit the fan._

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: ARE YOU INSANE?!_  
_I-Break-Stuff: Y/N, DON'T._

  
_Already at SS's door. If I call you, don't be shy to bring Megatron into this._

  
  
_I-Break-Stuff: Unicron damn it, you're being stupid!_  
_HandsomeRedDevil: The second you're out of there I expect you to text us. Are we clear?_

  
  
_Yes, doc <3_  
  
  


 

*******

 

  
  
This was weird.  
This felt wrong.

  
  
  
She was standing on Starscream's desk, in his quarters, and the silver mech sat on a chair on the other side of the room, one long leg on the other and bright red optics looking at her.

  
"You wanted to talk," the girl said, her arms crossed and her phone in her right hand,"Here we are."  
"Mm, yes," the seeker nodded,"So tell me, Y/n, are you not tired of being a prisoner on the Nemesis? We both know that is what you are."

  
  
Her eyebrows raised. Sure, Starscream didn't know or didn't even suspect the kind of relationship she had with Megatron, but it wasn't exactly a secret that she would often leave the warship via Groundbridges or hang out with members of the crew.  
The SiC, however, seemed to take her silence as agreement and his long, sharp talons tapped on the armrest of his chair, a sly smirk appearing on his faceplate.  
"I imagine it is sad, to be able to go anywhere in the world but knowing that at the end of the day you are required to return here, to this dark, cold alien ship."  
"I don't mind," the young woman answered coolly, waiting to hear what the seeker was leading up to.  
"Don't you?" the silver mech mused,"You don't have to lie, I imagine you would want nothing more that to return to your normal life."

  
  
Her face didn't change, but a flat, unimpressed 'Nah, I'm good' sounded in Y/n's thoughts as she continued to listen to the SiC.

  
  
  
"Listen, I have heard rumors and have come to a conclusion that we may benefit each other."

  
  
_Uh-huh. Of course._

  
  
"Rumors?" Y/n inquired, raising a brow. Starscream smirked, shifting in his chair a bit.  
"Yes. Rumors. I hear Megatron has you fetch him Energon and accompany him sometimes in his quarters."  
  
The girl's expression remained unchanged even if she wanted to either snort or roll her eyes, or both. A suspicion of what Starscream could want began forming in her head.  
The seeker continued, his voice too honeyed for her liking.  
  
"It must be terrifying, having to withstand such a powerful, demanding presence such as our master's. He must be quite intimidating for someone such as you. One can only wonder if you're at the end of your wits in trying to offer him entertainment in a form of conversation..." the mech smirked, "Of course, I have heard some of the crew have treated you well, but how long will that last, what do you suppose? How long until they all get bored of you and make your life a nightmare?"  
"Starscream, if you wanted to make a proposition, I recommend you get to it. You gain nothing from showing me how my supposedly difficult situation is satisfying to you," Y/n stated calmly, looking at the seeker in a way that neither confirmed nor denied his theories about her life on the Nemesis.  
"With pleasure," the SiC offered a smug little grin, his helm raising as he looked down at her.

  
  
"I can offer you freedom."

  
  
"Freedom?" Y/n's eyes narrowed slightly and the seeker took it as a sign of her being interested. She was more skeptical and unimpressed if anything.  
"Freedom," the mech repeated, looking at her as if she was a dog and he was waving treats in front of her, "Wouldn't you like that?"  
"Are you saying," the young woman said slowly, looking down at the seeker as much as it was possible from this angle,"That you would defy your lord's orders?"  
  
The fact that the mere mention of Megatron made Starscream snarl quietly was exceptionally pleasing to see.  
  
"Well I won't do it if you don't give me anything in return," he snapped at her, talons scratching lightly on the armrest. Y/n feigned an interested look and the silver mech continued, no doubt trying to sound gracious.  
"Recently our master has been...especially productive," the seeker explained and it was obvious that the fact didn't make him happy, "You are an unprecedented case, he seems to treat you as a pet almost. If there is any possibility he happens to...accidentally speak about the cause of his state or about his plans for the future, I would be willing to hear about it. As well as about other things that could be interesting."

  
  
_There_ it was.  
Y/n tried to concentrate on being surprised so that she wouldn't laugh right to Starscream's face.

  
  
"So you want me to spy on Lord Megatron and in return you free me...how, exactly?" she sighed, keeping herself calm and appearing neutral.  
" _Spy_ is such a crude word," the mech grimaced,"As Megatron's Second-in-Command, it is my duty to make sure all is well. Consider it professional interest, for the good of the Decepticon cause."  
  
So did he want to know of Megatron's plans or worries to be the one to come up with ideas and get in his leader's good graces or did he want to use the info to try and sabotage the lord? Judging by what she knew of Starscream and experienced firsthand, the latter was more probable. This was troubling. Then again, Megatron told her that Starscream tended to become overambitious and had to be brought down a notch from time to time.  
  
"Whatever you want to call it," the young woman said flatly, making the seeker frown,"I still don't see how you would defy Lord Megatron's orders. I am to remain on the Nemesis until he decides that I can leave. Unless you plan on killing me, prompting Megatron to get rid of the body, I don't see what you could do."

  
  
The way Starscream grinned when she spoke of her own death was almost comical. Too bad that Y/n had difficulty believing that he wouldn't kill her given the slightest chance that Megatron wouldn't rip his wings off afterward.

  
"Actually, that is close to what I could do," the seeker said, his sharp digit tracing his chin,"I could arrange it so that it would look like you got into an accident that left no body behind. Or, if you're feeling theatrical, you could rip your insides out, chop your head off or something and play dead so I could show the footage to Megatron."  
She actually doubted that she could regenerate from a chopped off head, she thought for a moment absentmindedly, before continuing to listen to the mech on the other side of the room. Starscream really seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice. How could someone like _this_ be Megatron's Second in Command? Yes, even with Starscream being a field commander who has proven himself in the war and even with Soundwave de facto running the show, it still baffled her.  
"Think about it. Sure, you would have to go into hiding for a little while, but I've heard you have experience with that kind of thing," the seeker tempted, his voice _too_ sweet,"After a while, Megatron would forget you and the Nemesis would probably leave Earth after we're done with the Autobots."  
"And how is your plan better than me just waiting it out until you leave Earth?" the young woman inquired.  
"Well what if Megatron decided to take you with us as a pet or something?" the mech snapped at her, clearly irritated that his proposition didn't make her a thankful mess of worship and tears by now.

 

  
For a second, Y/n considered the possibility.  
......  
God. Yes.  
A space trip with an alien lover? Pfft, that's something to die for. Even putting her feelings for Megatron aside, the chance to travel the universe was a chance of a lifetime. Sure, it would mean that she wouldn't be able to visit Earth in a very long time, but Megatron _did_ once mention Spacebridges-

  
  
"I see you are considering my offer," she heard Starscream chuckle darkly and that was when she couldn't hold back a laugh. The mech had everything so wrong, it was hilarious.  
"...Why are you laughing?" the seeker looked at her, caught off-guard, and Y/n shook her head, sighing and making the smile disappear from her face.  
"Unfortunately, I have to decline your offer, Starscream," the young woman said, seeing fury flash in the mech's big red optics. _Red, yet so different from Megatron's,_ a thought occurred to her and she chased it away. This was no time for daydreaming, she was currently in a room with a now pissed off Starscream.  
"Are you half-clocked?" the seeker narrowed his optics dangerously,"I am offering you the one thing you want!"  
"Starscream," Y/n looked into the mech's optics calmly even though her stomach currently felt like there was nothing but a big tense ball of nerves there, "Whatever Lord Megatron says while I happen to be nearby, I assure you it's nothing that you would find helpful. And do you really think I would be able to pull out important information from a Decepticon lord?"

  
She had decided not to laugh in his face and not to tell him that he was a stupid slagger and that no way in hell would she ever agree to what he offered. After all, even if he wasn't allowed to touch her, she wasn't alone in the world. He was an officer, it would be easy for him to learn where her family lived. And the way Starscream was...Y/n wasn't sure that he wouldn't be ready to be severely punished if it meant getting revenge on her if she provoked him enough. He seemed to enjoy bringing others pain too much for her to get reckless.  
So she had to play it smart. Even if she wanted to tell him to - what was the seeker expression? - get fragged flying.

  
  
Starscream looked her over scrutinizingly, his talons tapping on the metal armrest unsettlingly. The young woman's posture remained unchanged aside from the slight straightening of her back.  
  
"Maybe you are right, I may have overestimated how useful you could be to me. After all, _you don't know anything._ "  
The silver mech chuckled darkly, a sound disgusting in how condescending it sounded. This time, it took considerable effort for the girl not to narrow her eyes and not to look like she cared for whatever he said.  
Y/n raised her brow slightly. Oh really, what didn't she know? That Starscream was probably messing with her?  
  
  
Losing interest in her, the seeker nodded to the door.  
"I have no need for you anymore, you can go," the mech said dismissively but suddenly got up, his optics glowing dangerously and his talons partially reflecting the light as he moved them slowly,"I expect you keeping quiet about our little talk."  
"If Soundwave wasn't watching, then nobody will know. I won't tell," Y/n nodded, letting her arms fall to her sides and moving her wings, preparing to take flight. Never once during the conversation did she deactivate them, it gave her a sense that she could have dodged Starscream at least for a while if things went bad.  
Putting her phone into her jacket's pocket, she pressed a button on the device's side, stopping the recording. She did not yet know what she would do with it, but it didn't hurt to have it.  
"For your sake, you better not," the silver mech warned.

  
  
She was so done with this, she needed out.

  
  
Flying up, she nodded to the seeker and flew towards the door.  
  
"Let me assist you," Starscream's voice mocked her from behind. The douche knew that she could only go through doors that were recalibrated to recognize something as small as her.  
_Self-absorbed, arrogant fuc-_

 

  
The door slid open.  
Y/n had to mentally hit the brakes, making her wings flap forwards to send her backwards, avoiding collision with a chassis.  
A huge steel-gray chassis with the Decepticon insignia in the center of it.

  
  
Oh, snap.

 

  
  
As she looked up she was met with an angry yet attentive stare of red optics.  
Somewhere behind her Starscream let out a panicked gasp and started sputtering something, she didn't quite catch or care what.  
"Lord Megatron," she said quietly, not used to such a harsh stare from the Decepticon lord. It took about two seconds for him to look her over and make sure that both her body and her clothes were fine, indicating that she was not injured or wasn't harmed at any point and healed. Still, he looked into her eyes, a silent 'Are you hurt?' in his crimson optics. She gave him a look that she hoped would convey a confident 'No', hoping that it would calm the mech down.  
No such luck.

  
"Leave. I will talk to you later," the warlord ordered, his voice barely on the verge of becoming a growl and shivers went down her spine and arms.  
"M-Master! We were just deciding that we should start from a new leaf, truly!" Starscream said in a panicked hurry,"We were, weren't we, Y/n?"  
With all of her hatred towards Starscream, with how she despised him for offering her to spy on the warlord, Y/n still wasn't sure she was ready for him to feel Megatron's wrath right now. Okay, she probably would think that he got his just comeuppance, but was it right from a moral standpoint? She knew the Decepticon lord well by now so she could feel as well as Starscream felt it, that the aura the mech in front of them had around him right now was terrifying  both in power and malicious intent.  
"We were just talking," she said, making an effort to make her voice steady. Megatron's optics focused on the seeker and the young woman could feel the latter flinch.  
"You were ordered not to approach, Starscream," the lord stated with a calm harshness in his voice that promised that things would get real violent real quickly, "Once again, you insist on defying my orders. Y/n. Leave."

  
  
The warlord stepped forward and the girl instinctively flew up and over his shoulder, knowing that she couldn't have stopped him even if she wanted to. And she wasn't sure she wanted to. She found no pleasure in bringing pain to others, but something deep inside her hoped that Starscream would end up with the same injuries he had once dealt onto her. Or at least got some sense knocked into him, maybe that would make him rethink spying on the warlord or trying to use her.  
Not daring to stay longer, the young woman flew out of the room, leaving Starscream at Megatron's mercy.  


  
The door slid shut.

  
  
Y/n slowly exhaled. Sometimes, however stupid that sounded, she forgot how powerful and fearsome Megatron was. It was probably because she was in love with him and because he always treated her kindly, she thought as she made her way down the hall.

  
  
  
*******

  
  
_I'm alive._

  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: And...? What did he want?_

  
  
_Before that, I have a question. Did you tell Megatron where I was?_

  
  
_I-Break-Things: Megatron was there?! Fraag..._  
  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Wasn't us, doll. Probably YouKnowWho._

  
  
_I figured as much._

  
  
_I-Break-Things: Looks like you had quite the orbital cycle. Go rest up, kid._  
_HandsomeRedDevil: Yeah, I guess that would be better. But tomorrow I want to hear all about what happened._

  
  
_Sure. Thanks, guys, have a nice recharge._

 

 

 

 

Sure, she would rest, Y/n thought. But at first, she had someone to pay a visit to.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that escalated quickly.


	31. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n deals with the warlord's anger.

  
The door slid open.

  
  
Barely audible typing was the only thing Y/n heard.  
Quietly, she landed on the Communications Officer's desk, deactivated and folded her wings and walked up to her usual spot.

  
  
"You said there wasn't any surveillance on me anymore," the young woman said softly, too tired to be angry and too curious not to visit.  
The spymaster turned his helm to look at her, his mask faintly reflecting the holoscreen in front of him as Y/n watched text appear.

  
  
_[Proximity alert.]_

 

  
"Proximity alert?" the girl softly asked, her brows raising,"You want to tell me that you have an actual alert that pops up each time I and Starscream cross paths?"  
The dark mech nodded. Y/n looked down for a moment, thinking over the new piece of information.  
"Megatron's orders, I presume?" she asked thoughtfully.  
Another nod.  
"So the other times I crossed Starscream you also alerted him?"  
Shake.  
"Huh," the young woman sighed, crossing her arms and looking at the mech with tired curiosity more than anything else,"So did you listen in on our conversation or are there no cameras in his private quarters?"  
Shake.  
"I see," she raised her hand to her face, the knuckle of her index finger gently pressing to her lower lip as she looked away thoughtfully. She should approach this logically, she told herself. Soundwave did nothing wrong. He could have even saved her life if it had turned out that she made a bad call.  
"I see," she repeated, sighing once more, the tiredness setting in now that the adrenaline was gone from her system, "I guess it did look suspicious."  
The spymaster nodded.  
"I wonder," the girl smirked half-heartedly, "If you were the talkative type, would you have scolded me right now? Anyway, I realize that I should thank you for having my back. So thanks, Soundwave. I'll try to be more careful not to make you worry or call Megatron."  
The mech looked at her for a long moment, then finally nodded.

  
Then, he did something unexpected. Reaching out with a dark spindly digit, Soundwave...patted her on the head. Like one would pet a dog.  
It was so awkward and silly, but the sentiment wasn't lost on her. Her mood brightening, she gave the spymaster a warm smile.

  
"Thanks," she patted the digit in return lightly before the mech took it off her,"Let's hope Megatron will be at least partly as understanding as you, my friend."  
As she sighed somewhat nervously, the mech continued to look at her, his helm tilted slightly to the side.  
"I won't take any more of your time," the girl said, unfolding the wings and activating their holomatter parts,"I wish both you and Laserbeak a pleasant recharge."  
Soundwave nodded and, with that, the young woman jumped off his desk, gliding towards the door and raising altitude as soon as she was in the hall.

  
  
Well, nowhere to run now. Time to go into her room.  


 

  
*******  
  


 

  
"I though you were smarter than that."

  
  
That was the first thing she heard when she heard heavy footsteps and walked out of her cabin to greet the mech. Crimson optics shined, focused on her as the warlord towered over her and her house.

  
Anticipating the Decepticon would be in no mood to use a holomatter avatar, she kept her wings on, now activating them and flying up to his optic level.  
If they were to have this conversation, she was not going to stand there on the level of his pedes as long as she could help it.  
Hovering in front of the steel-colored mech, the young woman looked into his optics.

  
"I agree that it was a risky decision," she admitted, "But I was fairly sure he wouldn't dare kill me."  
Megatron's optics narrowed. She pursed her lips and, as he said nothing, just stared at her, seemingly keeping his rage at bay, she explained the setting. That she had a plan if things went bad, that she had Starscream sit as far away as possible and was ready to get out of the way and call for help. The warlord's expression didn't change much.  
"You weren't supposed to talk to him in the first place," his deep, stern voice made her feel like a misbehaving child and it simultaneously saddened and angered her. She tried to be reasonable, still. It wasn't a revelation that Megatron had a temper. And pride fit for a lord. Nothing good would come of it if she lost control of her own temper and provoked him. The conversation still could be made into something good, if she approached this right.

"He is your Second-in-Command. I thought that if he was willing to talk things out and at least be civil towards each other when we happened to pass each other in the hallways, then it would benefit all of us," she explained her reasoning. The lord scoffed.  
"Since when did you want to get friendly with Starscream?"  
"Civil. Not friendly. You know better than anyone else how much I dislike him," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly, a silent hope that the mech would calm down shining in them. Megatron's lips twitched in distaste, showing a glimpse of sharp dentas.  
"Do you even understand what kind of risk you were taking?"  
"When you left me on the ship with Starscream around you told me not to worry, that he knew better than to harm me," the young woman reminded, keeping her voice as steady as she could. While explanations were in order, a fight wasn't something that she wanted.  
"I was sure that you wouldn't even consider coming with Starscream if he offered," Megatron narrowed his optics.  
"And I wouldn't have back then. But you're here, on the Nemesis and I was ready to call you if anything happened."  
"What makes you think that you would have had more than a couple of seconds?" he asked harshly and it was getting really hard to hold back her own temper now. Then again, this was hardly the scariest Megatron could get so she hoped that the warlord was putting in some effort here as well.  
"Because he's not stupid. He's arrogant, rude and downright sadistic, but I doubt that he thinks that my death is worth the punishment that would come after," the girl reasoned, then sighed and then added in a voice that was much softer:

  
"Megatron, dear..."

  
  
_That_ got her his attention, his optics immediately losing some of their harshness, his expression somewhat caught off-guard. So she continued, encouraged by his reaction:  
  
"I know I've made you worry. I know I should have been more careful. I'm sorry for causing trouble, you know I try to cause as little of that as possible for you," the young woman said, the sincerity in her eyes not lost on the mech as he took a deep breath and sighed, cooling his frame. His now much calmer optics focused on her, the warlord offered her his servo. She landed on it without hesitation, looking into his optics with a hopeful little smile finding its way onto her lips.  
  
"What did Starscream say to you?" the warlord asked, the anger gone from his voice, leaving a tired and somewhat uneasy tone. Was he worried about something? Should she give him the recording to listen to? Then again, would Starscream survive it if Megatron learned about his SiC offering her to spy on him and 'escape' the warship? More importantly, however, this was Megatron's army and Megatron's ship, he needed to know if someone was (maybe, probably)plotting against him, his Second in Command at that. So this was not a difficult internal debate, really.  
"He told me enough for me to know that he thinks I'm just your occasional conversation partner, someone to be pitied because of that no less," the girl smirked, but then continued more seriously, "In essence, he offered me to relay to him if I happen to hear something interesting from you. Whether war plans or something private."  
She looked at the mech attentively, studying his reaction. Megatron didn't seem surprised but he did seem irritated.  
"I have a recording of the conversation if you think I may be lying about that," the young woman continued and that made the lord raise an optic ridge.  
"Why would I think that you lied to me?"  
"Well, he _is_ your Second-in-Command and I hate him. I wouldn't want you thinking I'm saying this just to get him into trouble... _more_ trouble," Y/n shrugged,"He has served you for so long, so such an accusation is no small matter."  
"If only," Megatron grumbled, looking to the side in irritation before his optics rested on her again,"I believe you, Y/n. But you shouldn't worry. As I said, Starscream is overly ambitious but ultimately not a threat to me."  
"I hope so," the girl sighed, still somewhat concerned that the mech dismissed Starscream's little plan so easily. Then again, he knew the seeker for centuries, thousands of years even, he was probably used to such behavior and knew how to handle something like this.  
"Have no doubt," Megatron nodded.

  
  
There was a moment of silence between them and after a day of hanging out with Knockout and Breakdown, the sudden meeting with Starscream, the talk with Soundwave and this conversation, Y/n was feeling really emotionally tired. Or tired of negative emotions at least.

  
  
She activated her wings and, as she flew up, she noticed out of the corner of her eye how the mech's digits ever so slightly twitched. That her made her smile warmly at the lord. Carefully landing onto his shoulder armor, she folded her wings and got closer to his helm.  
"Are you still angry at me?" she asked softly, knowing that he wasn't. Megatron shook his head, looking at her with a calm warmth in his optics. His fiery temper was a thing to be feared but with a bit of luck and the right words, it could go away almost, _almost_ as quickly as it could be ignited.  
"I'm glad," Y/n all but cooed, appealing to the lord's softer side, "I really do appreciate that you came to Starscream's quarters to make sure I was alright."  
He also came there to punish a subordinate who disobeyed a direct order, but they both knew about that, no need to bring attention to it. Leaning closer, the young woman placed a quick sweet kiss to the metal of Megatron's cheek.  
Finally, the warlord gave her a little half-smile, his deep voice making her feel all warm on the inside.  
"You have grown quite masterful at exploiting my affection towards you."

  
  
Of course, this was Megatron. He was observant and intelligent, no surprise he noticed how she was growing more and more skillful at pushing the right buttons. Then again, so was he.

 

  
"Well, I do have to try and keep up with you," Y/n smirked, then covered her mouth as she yawned, "Do you still have work to do today?"  
The lord shook his head, then said:  
"I can leave if you wish to sleep."  
"No, stay with me," she smiled, looking at the mech's face fondly, "Or, if you'd like, join me in the cabin. I feel very much in the mood to hug and kiss and cuddle with such a caring protector."  
Both of them smirked.  
"I will be over shortly," Megatron assured, giving her a charming smile,"The things you promised are much too appealing, my dear."

  
Later, when she walked out of the shower and saw a so very human-looking Megatron lying on the couch and lazily looking through Netflix, she couldn't help but smile lovingly.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she walked over to the man. He looked up, into her eyes and raised the blanket in a silent invitation. Slipping under the blanket and onto the lord, Y/n rested her head on his chest, feeling him immediately nuzzle her damp hair and his arms come around her.

  
_Finally,_ Y/n thought as she closed her eyes and hugged the man in return, _this was all she really needed._

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
Her morning walk on the 10th of December was something she enjoyed alone, as Megatron was busy.  
Too bad for him, Alaska was a really cool place to visit in the winter. Pun intended. Y/n was also the type to enjoy solitary walks so it was nice to just have some time for herself and enjoy the northern wilderness.

  
Then again, cybertronians didn't enjoy the cold much. Maybe she should invite him somewhere where it was warm and sunny this time of year. Yes, she will probably do that the next time the warlord will be free for a walk.

  
  
Right about when she was beginning to feel like her toes became icicles, she decided it was time to go back.  
Then, suddenly, a Groundbridge appeared in front of her. Strange, she didn't text Soundwave yet. But it was human-sized and near her, so the spymaster probably also thought that it was time for her to return.  
Walking into the bluish green portal,  Y/n took a few steps in the strange space between 'here' and 'there' before stepping out into a...cave?

  
  
The Groundbridge closed.

  
  
Looking around, she noticed three things:  
There were Vehicons running around.  
There were chunks of Energon in hover-minecarts and wedged into the walls of the cave.  
There were sounds of battle coming from outside.

 

  
This was bad.

 

  
Taking out her phone, the young woman was about to call Soundwave when something resembling a metal barrel landed near her. Instinctively diving behind the closest boulder and covering her ears, the girl heard the thing explode but not in a way that she had imagined it would. A shockwave pushed her slightly, but aside from that there was seemingly nothing it did. Unless it was... _Oh no._  
Checking her phone, she saw that the device was off and any attempt to switch it on was futile.

  
EMP grenade. Of course.

  
Looking over from behind the boulder, Y/n tried to find the nearest Vehicon. All of them were scattered and trying to regroup, and she instantly remembered Steve's words that there was a class of miner Vehicons who weren't that good in battle.  
And, judging by the sound from outside, there was indeed a battle.  
Hearing footsteps, the young woman instantly looked in the direction the grenade came from and saw a familiar cybertronian running into the cave. She saw that blue armor before, it was the femme that she saw the day she first met Megatron. This was an Autobot.

  
  
Immediately, the warlord's words rang out in her head:  
_Y/n, the second you see an Autobot - run._

  
  
And that was what she did, the adrenaline in her blood making her move fast and her mind screaming at her to be as stealthy as possible. Her life was on the line right now.  
The femme didn't seem to notice her, preoccupied with dispatching miner Vehicons near the entrance.  
Oh, this was so, so bad, Y/n thought as she hid behind a mine cart, desperately trying not to succumb to panic.

 

  
  
She was in the middle of a battle between huge metal aliens.  
What was she to do?...  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well THAT escalated quickly.
> 
> I wonder if these two chapters are shorter because the next chapter is longer...Hmmm >;)


	32. The Art Of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n tries her best to survive the situation she was thrown into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready to survive the attack? Will the Decepticons wage battle to destroy the evil forces of the Autobots?

  
  
This could not be happening.

  
After everything that happened to her, after finally convincing herself that she wasn't hunted by some crazy people anymore, she thought that she wouldn't be in a more dangerous situation than those she had already experienced.  
And now here she was, surrounded by fighting alien robots, in a cave, alone and with a dead phone.  
How did this happen?! Why did the Groundbridge lead her here?

  
  
A metal arm flew over her head and crashed into a wall, dropping several meters in front of her, raising clouds of dust and making little stray rocks tumble towards her.  
She looked at the Energon leaking from the giant, still twitching alien limb, severed fuel lines moving weakly as the blue liquid continued gushing out and being absorbed by the earth.  
Breathe, she thought as she pressed her back to the cold metal of the deactivated hover-minecart.  
Breathe, she asked her body as she clutched her chest and tried to make the sound of her heartbeat be quieter than the mayhem of battle sounds in the cave and outside it.  
_Breathe,_ she ordered herself sternly as someone - most probably a Vehicon miner - crashed into the cave wall not too far away from her, the sound of metal scraping on stone and metal body parts breaking both horrifying and sobering. Finally, her body began to listen to her again, the shock and panic that kept it unresponsive yielding to her will.  
This was no time to panic, she'd have time to feel sorry for herself later, back on the Nemesis. Now, best to try and make some distance between herself and the Autobots.  
Don't think about how the Vehicons being slaughtered right now lived on the same ship as her. Don't think how she may have known some of them.

  
She peaked around the cart, her brightly glowing Energon-colored eyes quickly picking out the Autobot femme who was taking out Vehicons left and right with horrifying efficiency.  
Arcee. Close combat specialist. Megatron had told her about the femme. Ruthless, bloodthirsty, merciless.  
Right, that much Y/n could see.  
There was no use running to the exit, there was an all-out battle there judging by the sounds, she just wouldn't survive there. Making sure the Autobot was on the other side of the area the girl picked the closest tunnel and hoped that it didn't lead to a dead end. With a last quick glance at the femme, a last final glimpse of her shooting one of the miners in the face and him falling to the ground, head blown off, Y/n dashed towards the tunnel.

 

"Hey Arcee, let me give you a servo!" she heard another voice from behind her. Great, _another_ one, she thought as she ran into the tunnel, praying that whoever came to assist the bloodthisty femme didn't see her.

  
  
God, even with her enhanced speed, this felt slow, _too slow._ The occasional gravel made noise, making her fight against herself not to panic, convince herself that the sound was inaudible compared to the clash of metal, the firing of cannons and screams of the Decepticons. She wished her wings were here, she thought for half a second.

 

  
  
Suddenly, she saw familiar shadows on the wall of the tunnel. Vehicons!  
Even if they didn't know her personally, they no doubt knew who she was. They were Decepticons, they were safety.  
Speeding up instinctively, the young woman momentarily looked over her shoulder to make sure that the Autobot femme and whoever had joined her hadn't somehow soundlessly followed her, then forced herself to slow down. The Decepticons were on high alert right now, would be a shame if they shot her by accident.  
  
As soon as the Vehicons turned the corner and saw her, they stopped, no doubt surprised. Damn, if only they-

 

  
  
" _Y/n?!_ What the frag are you doing here?!"  
Overwhelming relief and anxiety that simultaniously filled her. Yes, Neil was here! Oh gods no, Neil was here.  
"Neil!" she gasped and the mech hurried towards her and she did the same, all but jumping into his servo. Of course, it was possible Neil was here, he was a mining supervisor after all!  
"How in the pits..?" the mech stared at her, his red visor glowing brightly while both he and the other eleven bots looked at her and to the direction she came from.  
"Unfortunate Groundbridge," she said in a dismissive tone,"Listen, it's massacre there, do you have actual soldiers here?"  
"Well, you're kinda staring at them. Everyone else we had was at the entrance."  
"Tsk," Y/n scowled, her eyes narrowing,"So what's with your comms?"  
"There was some sort of EMP, it wiped out long range comms," Neil explained while the other mechs began looking restless.  
"So it reached you too, huh," the girl bit her lower lip, took out her phone and tried switching it on again. Useless. "Okay, so what's your plan?"  
"We...erm, go there and try to stop them?" her friend offered, sounding not so sure himself, "That's what is recommended usually. We kinda have to, there's such a large Energon deposit further down, we gotta guard that."  
"The twelve of you?" Y/n gasped.  
"Fourteen, actually," Neil corrected, "Two more soldiers are stationed at the end of the tunnel together with about ten miners."

  
"Are you serious?" Y/n deadpanned, not believing what she was hearing.

  
"Sups, are we gonna go or are you gonna spend time chit chatting with your human friend here?" one of the other mechs finally interfered, clearly both nervous and irritated.  
"Shut up or I'll shoot you," Neil snapped back at them but then sighed nervously, "Listen, we need to go there."  
"You'll be slaughtered," the young woman looked at her friend in horror,"There's two of them there and there were _at least_ four dozen mechs back there. And by what I've seen, the two Autobots are probably about finished wiping everyone out already, the twelve of you don't stand a chance!"  
"Hey-" Neil's talkative subordinate began to interfere.  
"Oh, shut it!" she snapped at him and he pointed his rifle at her immediately.  
"No human will tell me what to do!"  
"Well if you shoot me you better hope you die here," Y/n's eyes narrowed, "Because if you _do_ survive and Megatron gets his servos on you, you'd _wish_ you were offlined here."  
The Vehicon's rifle flinched and Y/n continued looking into his red visor stubbornly.  
"Listen, I'm sorry. But you're no match for the monstrosities that I've seen. I've treated mechs like you after battles with Autobots. I want my friend here and you too to survive this."  
"Slag, 079, put the damn rifle down, last warning!" Neil barked at the mech behind him and the mech obeyed. As the sounds of battle from the area in front of them began getting quieter, Neil looked ahead nervously and then switched his attention back to Y/n.  
"You sound like someone who has a plan."  
"Currently about 37% of one," the girl whispered, looking at Neil with determination in her now e/c eyes,"But we're all dead and the Energon is lost if you go there right now."  
"So you're suggesting..?"  
"Go back. Let them come to us. Use your familiarity with the surroundings."  
"And then?"  
"Can we just-" the young woman made a quick turn of her head, listening closely,"Just start going? I feel like they'll be done real soon."  
Neil gave her a two-second long look.  
"I'm trusting you right now."  
"I know."  
"Do you even have any experience in this?" the mech previously wanting to shoot her asked, clearly frustrated at his supervisor's decision.  
"I've killed about thirty humans," Y/n shot the mech an icy glare, trying to keep herself from shouting at him for wasting precious time, "Almost all of them I ambushed or led into some kind of trap. I was also the one who made Starscream require a medic to fix his optic. _Now. Let's. Go._ "  
  
The last words were directed at Neil and she sincerely hoped that her friend understood that her tone was caused by the danger they were in. She hated sounding like she knew better or was any kind of superior to them, but right now all of their lives were on the line. Couldn't they understand? Were they really that simple?

  
  
_Y/n, you have to know,_ Megatron's voice came to mind, _Vehicons are..well, simpleminded mechs mostly._

  
  
No, no. Of course they were cautious, Y/n thought as Neil finally,  finally, started moving back to where they came from. She was just a human and now she appears here in the middle of battle and claims to have a plan-  
Fuck, the plan. No time for moral struggles over how she comes off.  
"Neil," she said, her voice low as her eyes focused on her phone while she was trying to switch it on over and over. Or maybe it was just at least a bit calming to press the button over and over, to hold onto hope. "What do we have now? Tell me clearly. Comm-wise? Mech-wise? Tech-wise? Weapon-wise? Talk to me. Please."

And talk he did.  
As the Vehicons retreated further into the cave, he told her that the EMP grenade screwed all communications in the area she was first in, so the miners and soldiers couldn't efficiently regroup and call for backup. Where Neil and his comrades were, only long-range communications got screwed, though an engineer further in the mine was trying to think of something. Before this EMP grenade went off, there was another one outside the mine, right before the attack, so no signal was sent to the Nemesis as far as Neil knew.  
_Wonderful,_ Y/n thought in the most sarcastic tone possible, so sarcastic that it dripped onto her heart like acid, making her realize how dire of a situation she was really in. Until now, she secretly hoped that Megatron was, if not already here, then on his way here.

 

Press. Still a blank, black screen.

  
  
Mech-wise they had fourteen soldiers, twelve miners and an engineer.  Miners were, however, almost useless in a fight, Neil commented. Unless she wanted to use them as decoys. The calmness and mundane tone that Neil said those words with came as a shock to the girl, but she pushed that thought aside for later.  
Everything could come later.  
Right now, there had to be a way to survive this long enough to find a way to reach Soundwave and, by extension, Megatron.

 

Press the button. Stare at the dark screen.

  
  
Tech-wise they didn't have much to begin with and the EMP grenade screwed much of that.  
Logical.

At this point, she was pressing the power button more like one would squeeze a stress-relief toy, just to give her hands something to do and let her concentrate on thinking.

 

  
Weapon-wise they had what they could transform their servos into and the two mechs who were stationed almost at the end of the tunnel were manning turrets. Other than that, they didn't have much more. The brunt of their force was outside and even then, they didn't anticipate the EMP grenades. Usually, their tech could handle it. The Autobots must have somehow modified their grenades.  
Y/n listened, the gears in her head turning.  
And the miners? What of their equipment? Drills, carts, explosives. Explosives?! Explosives. Explosives, of course! This was a mine!

  
  
Okay, this could work yet.

  
  
"By the way, which mine are we in now? As in, where?" Y/n asked absentmindedly as her brain was busy with trying to come up with a plan.  
"The one in what's it called...Abalama?"  
  
Okay, the Alabama one. There were two active mines of which Y/n knew, now she knew exactly in which one she was.

Suddenly, the screen of her phone displayed the greeting message. It glitched and powered down halfway, but it switched on! Again, she began pressing the button every half a minute or so, hoping that the closer she got to the area where there was at least short-range comms, the better her poor phone would 'feel'.  


In what seemed like ages but actually probably only was a few minutes, they saw the guard outpost and the light beginning to shine from the end of the tunnel just around the corner. The two sentries with the turrets looked at them with what the girl could estimate was surprise.  
As they soon came out of the tunnel, the Vehicons there immediately greeted them with stares. Only the engineer didn't pay them any mind, focused on the communications station that stood further away.  
"I can get them under control, but you need to start with that plan soon," Neil whispered. Y/n nodded.  
"Gather the miners, we're gonna need them. I need to hear what the engineer's progress is, don't bring him here, that'll waste time, just ask him," the young woman heard herself speak, having put aside her worries of whether it was or wasn't her place to give out orders. If Neil was on board, if he thought that whatever she could think up was better than death then she would do her damnest not to disappoint him and hopefully get them out alive.

  
  
  
  
Or at least give the Autobots as much trouble as she possibly could.

 

  
  
  
True to his word, a few barks from Neil made the other mechs much more compliant or at least made them shut up. With the short-range comms working, everyone gathered quickly. Just then they heard the turrets started firing.

  
  
Paling in an instant, Y/n heard Neil sending ten of the soldier-type mechs to the tunnel, leaving 079 and himself. Suddenly, she felt his servo begin to move.  
"No," she said, snapping from her momentary shock and looking at his visor with determination,"You are not leaving. I need you here-"  
"I'll leave 079-"  
" _No_ ," she repeated adamantly,"You're the only one in charge right now. I lose you, the entire chain of command falls. They won't listen to me. I need you." _I also can't imagine what I would tell the guys, especially Kody, if you-_  
"Send your mechs, I understand that you have to," Y/n spoke, feeling how her hands became as heavy as stone and just as unmoving. She knew he sent them to their deaths, to give them - her - time, "But you stay here."  
"Fine," the mech nodded, listening to reason.  
"Okay," the girl also nodded,"Tell me how the fight is going and how much time we have."  
  
  
_How much time those mechs on the turrets and those you had sent just now bought us with their lives._  
  
  
Not wasting a second and trying not to focus on the sounds coming from the tunnel, Y/n began trying to bring her plan into reality, only sometimes looking at her phone. It did switch on but still had no connection whatsoever and was horribly glitching, so she couldn't waste her time on it right now. Still, it made sense to check. Just in case. Just to be sure.  
Neil informed her that there were still only two Autobots in the tunnel for now and his following words were like the clock counting down to the begin of Armageddon.  
  
  
  
Two turrets active. Twelve mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Eleven mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Ten mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Nine mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Eight mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Seven mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Six mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Five mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Four mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Three mechs online.  
Two turrets active. Two mechs online.  
Turret destroyed.

  
  
"I think we're finished," the gravelly voice of one of the miner-Vehicons rasped.  
She just nodded, feeling numb from the amount of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

  
  
  
One turret active. One mech online.

  
  
' _I'm so sorry',_ she thought for just a moment before continuing issuing orders.  
"I'll be done faster if you stop fraggin' nagging me!" the engineer snapped at Neil across the comm.line.

  
  
  
Turret destroyed.  
No mechs online.  
  
The Autobots were coming.

 

 

...

 

 

  
  
The mine was silent, save for the hurried heavy steps coming from the mine.  
She could hear the patches of gravel that could be found in the tunnel crunching under metal pedes. Straining her hearing to the point that it almost hurt, she could hear voices echoing in the tunnel. A mech and a femme one.  
   
"-ll of them!"  
"Don't be cocky, Cliffjumper. There still could be more ahead."

  
Cliffjumper, the 'brash one, who treats offlining bots like fun', she remembered the Decepticon lord's words.

  
"Oh, come on, Arcee, be optimistic. Look, there are carts of Energon all along the path. I call dibs on that one there."  
"I'd rather be realistic. And don't get distracted. There's the end of the tunnel. Stay alert."  
"Always."

They should notice the engineer fiddling with the communications station and 079 guarding him right about-  
  
"He's trying to restore the comms!"  
"Oh no you don't, buddy!"

  
  
_Now._

  
Peaking around from her hiding spot, she waited for the two Autobots to be almost at the end of the tunnel, then nodded to Neil.  
"Do it," her friend commanded and the next second there was a series of explosions in the tunnel as the mining explosives in the Energon-filled carts detonated all around the Autobots. That was immediately followed by a larger,  thunderous explosion, making sand and small rocks fall from above Y/n and the tunnel's ceiling collapse onto the 'bots, burying them under tons of rubble.  
A rush of dust passed the area where Y/n and the Vehicons were, making several of them activate their internal fans to get the dust from their systems. Simply put, they coughed and cursed this 'dirt-ridden planet'.

  
  
Then, realization hit them.  
It worked.  
  
_It worked._

  
  
There was a moment of silence and, surprisingly, 079 was the first to speak up.  
"Yeah! Take that, slaggin' Autobots!"  
Several similar exclamations were made but Y/n wasn't ready to celebrate.  
  
"Yes, you all did a really great job," she nodded as Neil carried her to the others,"But it's not over until it's over. We don't know if all three of the others are there or there's fewer of them, and how fast they could blast their way here. How's the comm.station?"  
" _I'm trying,_ " the engineer hissed,"Pray to Primus that plan of yours didn't set us back, human."  
"You can blame me all you want but get it working already," she answered coldly, but then asked "What is the major problem?"  
"The problem," the engineer sighed in annoyance, "Is that something was busted by that EMP and while I've repaired almost everything something _obviously_ seems to still be malfunctioning."  
"So basically you don't know," Neil said flatly and Y/n pursed her lips, clutching her phone to her chest as if it was a religious amulet. Still no bars and no internet connection, still glitching.  
"Let me see," she said, not really sure what she was doing. She just had to do something.  
"You? A human?" the engineer put his servo on his hip, sounding offended as Neil carried her over to the station and kneeled, letting her jump off and walk to the open maintenance panel.  
"Listen, I don't-" she tried to reason, but...

  
  
_Ting!_  
_..._  
_Ting!_  
_Ting!  
_

  
  
Baffled, the girl looked at her phone. The internet connection was showing a single little bar appearing and disappearing, her phone catching messages into her app when there was a momentary connection.  
Her eyes wide, she immediately tried calling Soundwave, knowing that he would be able to track her.  
  
No success.  
She tried again - nothing.  
  
She tried texting - the texts couldn't be sent and the one weak, lonely connection bar disappeared alltogether.  
  
"I need to be closer to this thing," Y/n looked at the engineer, who was as silent as everyone else who witnessed her phone working,"Whatever you did, you did reestablish a connection to the Nemesis. If we can't call them via the station, I'll do it with my phone."

 

  
  
Just then, noises started coming from the collapsed entrance to the tunnel, making her head snap in its direction. It sounded simultaneously like an ion cannon shooting, something huge slamming and slashing against the rocks and a whole cacophony of sounds that all meant that the Autobots were coming and coming soon.

 

  
  
"Inside the station," the engineer said quietly, making her look at him again,"The transmitter is right here, in the center. That's my guess if you're trying to amplify your device's signal."  
The mech tapped the higher part of the station.  
"I need to get there," Y/n said, making her way over the open maintenance panel, throwing off her winter coat and scarf.  
"What are you doing?" Neil asked, worry evident in his tone.  
"Relax, I've done this a dozen times. And this thing won't even scream 'Eew, there's a human inside of me," Y/n said with a nervous chuckle, one leg already inside the comm.station as she was internally screaming at herself not to panic.  
"Y/n-"  
"Get to cover, set whatever explosives you can right where the rubble ends, then shoot at them from cover. Don't engage. They're all just miners and without you, they have no direction. There's only five Autobots on the planet, so in any case you have the numerical advantage and the surroundings are familiar to you, not them. Use that," the girl said as she almost disappeared inside the station, "If you have it, put an extra explosive on the way to the station and shepherd them there with continuous fire. What I'm saying is, surprise them. One smart human once wrote that all warfare is based on deception. And you're Decepticons, you're better at this than anyone, right?"  
With that, she completely crawled into the station, using her legs and right arm to climb deeper and keeping her phone in her left hand to see when the connection will be stable enough to call or text.  
Continuously, she hit 'Call', over and over again, her heart dropping a little more as another call couldn't get through.

  
  
The noises from outside the station were getting louder. Whatever Neil decided to do, she hoped he'd be safe.

  
  
She climbed through a particularly narrow point that unpleasantly scratched at her arms and legs and looked at her phone again. For a second, the little connection bar appeared before vanishing again.  
  
"Tsk," she frowned and climbed further, closer to where the connection was supposedly stronger.

Just then, there was the sound of rocks sliding down and not a moment later an explosion shook the area, making her stop in instinctive fear for a second before trying to hurry even more without accidentally damaging anything.  
The sounds of warfare quickly enveloped the area, the blasts that landed all too close to the communication station making her feel the vibrations.  
Making her way through cables, feeling like she was squeezed by a family of pythons and feeling the buzzing electrical current running right under the surface, the girl heard a familiar _Ting!_  
Immediately, she pushed 'Call' again and as soon as it was answered she started talking, trying to do so as loudly and efficiently as possible.  
"Alabama mine. Autobots here. West tunnel."  
Six words she repeated over and over, making sure that even if there was a disturbance that the Communications Officer got the information. He should be able to track her location, but she didn't want to risk it, not now. She even typed out a text too, to be sure, while she was speaking. Almost right after she hit 'Send', a violent hit shook the station and Y/n heard metal creaking as it dented.  
The sounds from outside, the ones she tried so hard to filter out, began to reach her:

  
"...chet says they're stable. The strange signal is coming from somewhere inside!"  
"Understood. Then I will rip it out."

  
  
A blow so powerful hit her that she was sure she lost consciousness for a second, but right after that she felt her body being crushed and pulled and scratched and stabbed, all at the same time, making her cry out from the unimaginable pain and terror as she was pulled out of the station by a large servo.  
Then, she saw optics as bright as Energon, as blue as the winter sky.

  
  
"This- How can this be?..." a deep, shocked voice gasped as the mech that was holding her and the cables around her in his servo looked at her, utterly baffled.  
There was nothing she could do, she could feel that most of her body was broken from the violence with which the mech ripped her out of the station. It was a miracle she could even feel both of her legs and not just one of them.  
"A human...?"  
  
Funny, she thought as she looked at Optimus Prime, he seemed genuinely horrified at her situation. Then again, Megatron did say he was an exceptional actor.  
  
Broken breaths escaped her as the mech weakened his grip on her and his battle mask snapped open, his optics full of...worry?  
  
"It's...a little too late feigning concern....when most of my blood is gushing down your servo...no?" she managed, hoping that at least some of her ironic notes got through, perfectly aware that she probably sounded as pained and as broken as her body was. Her vision was coming and going, together with the flashes of unimaginable pain, but she clenched her teeth and made herself gasp and moan and hiss, but not scream. She didn't scream for Starscream, nor would she for the one who betrayed Megatron and doomed Cybertron. The pain was agonizing, on par only with what she had felt when she was thrown off a cliff and into the cybertronian temple all those months ago, but luckily(?) she had a punctured rib so screaming would be problematic. Choked wheezing was more like it.  
  
The Autobot leader seemed completely shocked, his optics darting from her to his servo and back to her. He probably thought she was going to die very soon, he looked almost grieving. Or he was just extremely disgusted that there was so much of her blood on his servo that it dripped from it onto the ground in small streams.  
  
_Shame,_ Y/n thought as she looked over the mech with pain-hazed, cold eyes, _For such an evil being to have such a kind face. Why do you act like you're so upset when there's no one to act for?..._

 

  
"Optimus, what the- By Unicron!" a big green bot approached and looked at her, optics wide.  
  
"Bulkhead, we need to-"  
  
  
  
  
  
_**"PRIME!"**_

 

  
Y/n's breath hitched painfully and her heart skipped a beat inside her broken ribcage when she heard the Decepticon lord's roar. It was pure fury. Every sound in the mine seemed to just stop. Optimus Prime looked at her, his optics wide, then his mask snapped back closed as he turned towards the warlord.  
  
"Megatron, what have you-"  
  
The Autobot's voice boomed, but Megatron wasn't even listening and nor was Y/n. She saw the moment when he saw her in Prime's servo, dark crimson blood running between dark gray digits. As red optics widened, the girl clearly saw the moment when the steel-colored mech became completely overcome with rage. The whole area seemed to fill with dread and, the next second, Megatron dashed forward, his blade on the ready, a roar that came from his chassis so blood-chilling that even the Prime should have been affected.

  
  
The Autobot leader stepped back and to the side quickly, dodging the attack - barely so - his movements throwing her around in his once again closed servo. Biting her lip and tasting nothing but iron in her mouth, both from her previous injuries and the just punctured tender skin, Y/n hissed. She hadn't healed, not by a long shot, several bones in her legs and at least three of her ribs were broken by the very servo she was now being thrown around in. And that's not mentioning all the cuts.  
  
The next second, Prime's free servo changed into an ion cannon and he pointed it to fire at Megatron. Too late, the former gladiator struck his cannon aside with a blow so powerful that Y/n could feel the vibrations from the blow in the Autobot's other arm.  
It was absolute mayhem, she was thrown around so much and the pain was flashing through her so often that it was hard to make sense of what was happening. She was too close to the battle, it was a mess of chassis moving, arms hitting and guarding, giant bodies making steps and dashes to one side or another.  
She did notice that Megatron was focusing his attacks on the left side of the Prime's body, opting not to strike anywhere near where she was, while the Autobot commander-

A thought occurred to her.  
Why was the Prime still holding her? Why not throw her aside, he was currently forced to fight one-handed, always staying on the defensive, basically only blocking and endlessly backing away.  
Why didn't he-?

  
  
A violent shake when Prime blocked Megatron's blade with his own and then dashed back made her grab onto the Autobot's servo with her still aching, but already not broken arms.

 

  
"Ratchet, we need a Groundbridge!" the Prime's deep voice called out and Y/n's heart dropped.  
_Oh no, no, no, not a Groundbridge,_ she thought, immediately beginning to struggle to get out of the servo by any means necessary. She got nothing but pain out of it.  
  
Megatron seemed to be of the same mindset as her because he immediately began attacking even more furiously, his wrath catching even the Prime off-guard. The Autobot leader fired several shots and the warlord didn't even bother to block them, just moving towards the Prime like the blasts to his shoulder armor and chassis weren't even there. In a flash, there he was, in front of them, and the Prime blocked the strike of his mightly servo with his blade, grunting from the force of it. But, unlike the Autobot, Megatron had another free servo. A thundering blast was heard and the Autobot leader's body was thrown into the cave wall, bringing some rubble crashing down as he collided with it. To the Prime's credit, he remained standing even after that, thought Y/n could hear by the telltale creaking of metal that somewhere there was damage done to his body.  
  
"Just let me go already!" she called out to the mech holding her. He didn't look at her, his blue optics focused on Megatron as he dashed to the side, avoiding a punch, and jumped away from the warlord.  
"We will not leave you here," the Autobot said and, as if on cue, a Groundbridge opened not too far away, casting blue and green light onto the surrounding area.

  
  
_"Enough!"_ Megatron's voice boomed and he was there again, right in front of the Prime, an arm raised to strike. The red and blue mech raised his own arm, anticipating a blow, but the warlord deployed his blade mid-swing and Y/n heard the Autobot cry out as both his armguard and his forearm got cut so deeply the girl was sure that another good strike could probably cut it off entirely.

  
  
"Optimus!" the green bot from before cried out and swung a wrecking ball looking weapon at Megatron, who swiftly ducked under it, moved forward, grabbed the Autobot's arm and threw him aside like he was some oversized barrel. The thunderous sound of the green mech crashing to the ground was accompanied by heavy footsteps as the warlord dashed towards Prime again, the Autobot looking to his damaged arm and forcing it to eject a blade, no doubt causing him massive pain even though Y/n didn't see more than a narrowing of optics and didn't hear more than a strained short grunt.  
As the green mech got up and was returning fire that was coming at them now from every direction from the Vehicon reinforcements, the Prime deflected a strike from Megatron, then dashed and rolled and Y/n was sure that if her ribs hadn't healed by now that both of her lungs would have been punctured again, so strong was the shaking that the Autobot's actions caused.  
As the Prime came out of the roll, he ended up beside his green subordinate and, suddenly, she felt his servo opening up.  
"Take the human and go. I'll cover you," the Autobot commander ordered as she was placed into another servo so carefully that her brain just couldn't comprehend it. The Prime turned back to face Megatron and the mech that now held her made a step back, towards the Groundbridge.

  
  
This was her chance!

  
  
She moved before the mech had the opportunity to close his short-digited servo.  
Her whole body ached and she wasn't sure if her legs were still broken somewhere, but even if there were fractures or minor broken bones, she could move and the adrenaline in her blood made sure that that was all she needed.  
Immediately, she dashed to the mech's forearm, making him gasp and say something, but she didn't even listen.  
His other servo landed right behind her, right where she was a second ago, the Autobot trying to catch her. Too slow.  
Taking her chances, she jumped to his chassis and slid down, her perspective changing as the mech moved in an attempt to catch her. But she was smaller and faster, she could dodge him.

  
Just when she was about to somehow try and jump to either the mech's knee or, if she had to, straight to the ground, she heard a familiar mechanical chirping sound and the bulky green mech cried out, shook and staggered back as he was shot by-  
  
"Laserbeak!" Y/n gasped, her eyes filling with surprise and gratitude. She immediately jumped and the deployer dove down, catching her onto his back. Holding on tightly onto the dark bird-like cybertronian, she, for the first time since her unfortunate Groundbridge, felt at least somewhat safe.  
"Thank you for coming for me," she said as the deployer made sure to quickly make some distance between them and the green mech. Not too far away, Y/n saw Optimus Prime and Megatron fighting, the power of their blows resonating off the walls of the cave, making sand and rocks fall all around. The Prime, while damaged, held his ground admirably, but the warlord was full of rage and not held back by the need to be careful for the girl's sake anymore. The young woman watched as the two leaders exchanged blows and shots before the one called Bulkhead screamed:  
  
"Optimus, we need to go! There's too many 'cons here!"  
  
The Prime dashed out of the way of Megatron's attack, it still catching his shoulder armor, and jumped back, shooting back at the Vehicons as he and the green mech retreated back into the glowing blue and green vortex. She saw the moment when the Autobot commander realized that Bulkhead didn't have her, his optics finding her and she was almost sure that behind his battle mask there was a shocked expression.  
Megatron advanced, intent to probably following the both of them and finishing the job, so the two Autobots retreated deeper into the portal and it closed.

  
  
The area was silent for a moment. Then, the steel-colored mech turned, looking at Laserbeak, beginning to walk toward the deployer, reaching out with his sharp-digited  servo.

  
  
"Give her to me."

  
  
The small Decepticon flew lower and the moment he was close enough Y/n jumped into the mech's servo and looked into his crimson optics.  
He looked her over, her blood-soaked and torn clothes doing little to convince him that she was, in fact, mostly healed.  
"I-I'm fine," Y/n said softly, feeling lightheaded from being in the safest place she could ever be  - in Megatron's servo.  
The warlord just looked at her, the rage in his optics subsiding, making way for an intense stare, one that made her feel like everything around them was just gone for a moment. He held her closer to his chassis and began walking, his optics now looking forward as a Groundbridge appeared before them, Laserbeak immediately flying into it.  
"Secure the perimeter. Await the arrival of an officer," the mech ordered and a chorus of 'Yes, Lord Megatron!' was the answer as he walked into the portal.  
In the bright, spinning vortex, he looked at her again and she couldn't help but lean back into his chassis, a long sigh of relief escaping her as she just looked back into crimson optics lovingly.  
"You are safe now, Y/n," the warlord finally spoke, his deep voice making a small smile appear on her lips.  
"Thank you," she answered quietly before inquiring, worried,"Are you hurt? Maybe you should see Knockout?"  
"I am fine, my dear," the lord assured her while looking over her with a steady gaze of his crimson optics. Her appearance was still a sorry one, she realized."You are hurt."  
"Not anymore. Mostly," she said as they stepped out of the Groundbridge and were greeted by Soundwave who looked down at her, his mask reflecting the lights of the glowing vortex behind them before it closed.

  
  
_[Y/n - Status?]_

  
  
"Alive and, I think, mostly healed," Y/n smiled warmly at the Communications Officer. The dark mech nodded and looked back at Megatron, who looked back at him sternly.  
"Take over this and keep me updated. And find out who was responsible for Y/n being there."  
The spymaster nodded and Megatron made his way past him, heavy footsteps echoing off the walls of the Nemesis as soon as he stepped into the hall.  
Y/n didn't want to think about it, she wanted for the warlord to continue holding her but she realized that this was a situation he would have probably handled by himself if it wasn't for her. Gathering her willpower, she looked at Megatron and met the gaze of crimson optics.  
"I know what you want to say," he suddenly spoke, "I am not leaving you out of my sight. That is not up for debate, Y/n."  
Her shoulders relaxing, the girl looked at the mech fondly, feeling relief wash over her.

  
  
True to his word, he never left her that day.

  
  
Patiently, the mech waited while she took a shower in her cabin, washing all the blood away, and while she changed her clothes. When he saw her again, he seemed more inclined to believe that she did, in fact, heal, his optics gaining a softer glow to them.  
"Are you cold?" the lord asked when the young woman put on a light trenchcoat over her clothes after showing him her wound-free arms. She wasn't. But she was in the mood right now to feel as covered as possible, it gave her a subconscious sense of added safety. She didn't bother to lie to her beloved lord about that and he nodded understandingly as he offered her his servo.He asked if she was willing to rest. She answered that she couldn't currently even if she wanted to. So Megatron brought her to the observation deck where he sat on his throne and let her sit on his shoulder armor while he proceeded to listen to reports from Vehicons.  
There was no limit to her joy when one of the Vehicons turned out to be Neil. She didn't dare interrupt him or Megatron while they were discussing the attack, but when the Vehicon proceeded to tell the warlord of her involvement the steel-colored mech brought her into the conversation himself.  
"Is this all true?" he asked, looking at her as she sat on his shoulder armor, trying to do so as properly as her exhaustion would let her. They were on the command deck, after all.  
"Yes, Lord Megatron," she nodded, looking into his optics and hoping that he wouldn't be mad at her for convincing the Vehicons to follow her plan. Even more, she hoped that he wouldn't be mad at the Vehicons.  
"I see," the warlord answered and let his gaze travel back to Neil, "Dismissed. Take your allotted recharge time and return to duty afterwards."  
"Yes, Lord Megatron," the mining supervisor bowed and went towards the exit. As Megatron lost interest in him, Y/n continued watching, noticing how one of the Vehicons standing at a station further away exchanged glances(or what looked like it) with Neil. The young woman was sure that was Kody.  
A soft sigh of relief escaped her, but her heart pulsed painfully. Neil was alive, but so many had died today. 079 was in the medbay and Y/n had already called Knockout to ask him to do what he could. Sure, the mech was a jackass, but he got his leg torn off and his chassis dangerously dented while fighting Bulkhead.

  
  
There was a buzz in her trenchcoat's pocket and she took out her spare phone. It was an old 1st generation smartphone but it did the job well enough. Hopefully, she thought, it was Knockout with updates on 079.

  
_Megatron: I am surprised._

  
  
Y/n looked back at the warlord and he just gave her a barelly noticeable nod. She switched her attention to the screen while glancing up from it periodically.

  
  
_I hope you're not mad that I did that._

  
  
_Megatron: If anything, I am impressed._

  
  
A smile graced her lips and though she knew she probably looked paler than usual, she still felt her cheeks warm up a bit as she threw the lord a quick thankful glance.

  
  
_I'm glad to hear that._

  
  
_Megatron: I would like to hear your side of the story later._

  
  
_Gladly. Though, I'm not sure how much of it you would find interesting, since almost half of my ideas were insiped by your war stories._

 

  
  
There was a momentary upward twitch of the warlord's optic ridge and of the corner of his lips, but an astrosecond later that was gone.

 

  
_Megatron: Really now? And the other half?_

  
  
_About 25% of my own experience, 15% of what I've learned in the medbay and 10% of what I've read in books about battle strategy a couple months back._

  
  
_Megatron: I see._

  
  
_May I tell you a secret?_

  
  
_Megatron: Of course, Y/n._

  
  
_I just imagined you saying that and I remembered once again how I love your voice._

  
  
The young woman sent the text and looked up at the warlord, giving him a tired yet steady look, a faint affectionate smile appearing on her lips for but a moment. Megatron looked deep into her eyes, his optics giving her all the answer that she could ever need, even without them needing to exchange words.  
Soundwave silently typing on the main station, mechs working at their stations on the lower levels of the command deck, the view of the clouds below and Megatron's proximity made her eventually completely snap back to reality, fully realizing that she was back on the Nemesis and the forsaken mine and the Autobots were somewhere far, far away. Her mind now more clear, she organized the facts that she now had, having listened to everything Megatron's subordinates have told him and having texted with Knockout and Breakdown:  
-The Autobots, forced to retreat, weren't able to get away with any Energon or blow up the deposit.  
-Also, it seemed that her little stunt had wounded the blue femme and her red partner. Add that to the damage Megatron had dealt to the Prime and it looked like the Autobots were out of commission at least for a while.  
-At least half of the miners that were in the cave with her survived.  
-079 was in stable condition, a new leg having been attached to him and his chassis repaired.  
-Starscream, the one Y/n was willing to bet was responsible for her groundbridging to the site of the Autobot attack, was supervising the other mine since early morning. The girl still was sure that he had a servo in this, but until now no evidence was found against him.  
-The surveillance cameras did show a Vehicon accessing one of the stations. A Vehicon with the same identification number was confirmed offlined in the mine where Y/n was transported to.  
-Y/n was still sure that Starscream had something to do with this.

-The uprgaded EMP grenades were found and retrieved, the Decepticons would be able to reverse-engineer them and create countermeasures.  
-The area was secured and the mining operation was resumed shortly, the Energon deposit would add a good amount of the glowing blue crystals to the Nemesis' storage.

 

  
After a while, Megatron left the observation deck, Y/n still on his shoulder.

  
  
  
They went to his room, where the warlord would take a moment to clean himself of the dust and rocks in his private decontamination room. After, he would ask her about her side of the story while cradling her in his servo as he sat on his berth, his back to the wall and his optics glowing with a fond light now that they were alone again.  
As she sat in his metal palm, she told him about everything truthfully, trusting the mech with even the thoughts and the feelings that she had at one moment or another. The lord was mostly silent, sometimes offering a soothing word or a careful brush of his digit when she fell quiet for a bit too long.

  
  
"Then you arrived and, well, you know he rest," the girl sighed, then added quietly,"I was honestly worried when you went against the Prime, you having to hold back like that for my sake. I'm sorry about that."  
"Don't apologize," the warlord's voice rumbled softly yet confidently,"You are not to blame. It was all the Prime."  
Y/n looked to the side, sighing again quietly.  
"There is something on your mind," the lord stated more than asked and she nodded.  
"Did he say something to you?" the steel-colored mech inquired, his voice calm yet Y/n could notice a tinge of tenseness. The young woman shook her head slowly.  
"No, nothing important. He just expressed surprise that I was there and, later, he refused to let me go," she lightly touched her lower lip with the knuckle of her index finger, looking at her lover thoughtfully,"He just looked so genuinely grieving when he had thought that he had dealt me wounds that would kill me. And so worried for me. So willing to bring me back with them. Why? There were no other humans to trick and I couldn't do anything at that moment to stop him anyway..."  
  
Megatron made a humming sound that was half-thoughtful and half...angry? Upset? He looked at her, his optics becoming half-lidded as he gently touched her shoulder with his digit and dragged it along her arm.  
"There was one human he wanted to trick if he was intending to use them."  
"Use? Me?" Y/n raised her brows,"I won't argue that I'm a somewhat different kind of human, but him being a cybertronian, how could I possibly be- Do you...Do you think he would have used me as leverage against you?"  
"That, or he could have attempted to trick you to work for the Autobots," Megatron nodded, his optics narrowing slightly more,"The way your eyes glowed much like Energon certainly did not go unnoticed by him, even if he did not know the reason behind it. Optimus Prime is a cunning mech, Y/n. His beautifully phrased lies have led many a bot to stray from the right path and throw themselves willingly to their doom. He may have thought that I wasn't as truthful with you regarding our war so he may have attempted to present himself as your savior."  
The girl's cheek twitched and she frowned in distaste, making the mech nod and give her an approving look. It made sense, Megatron's words made sense, didn't they?  
"You did well today, dear Y/n," the warlord all but purred and her heart swelled, making her doubts fade away. She smiled lovingly at the mech.  
"Thank you for rescuing me," the young woman closed her eyes, leaning into the servo that was petting her with her whole body much like a cat would. A quiet sigh escaped the Decepticon lord as Y/n was sure she heard relief in it. She knew that he was worried, she saw it both in his actions and his optics.  
"I will make sure that no Autobot touches you again. Especially Prime," the lord promised, his voice dropping to a growl at the mention of his former friend.  
"I know, I know," the girl petted the closes digit to her, making her voice as soothing as possible, "I'm alright now, thanks to you."

  
  
They were silent for a long moment before Megatron spoke again, his voice quiet.

  
  
"I have never seen you that injured before. It looked like you were not going to heal from that."  
Right, she thought, Megatron had never seen her injured more than she was after the mercs attacked her in the woods. And even then, she was already healed, just paralyzed.  
"Come to think of it, you hadn't seen my regeneration ability before this, huh?" still holding her eyes closed, Y/n chuckled lightly but the sound was devoid of any joy,"I'm sorry you had to see that. I imagine that was a horrible thing to witness."  
For a second, she felt like she was back in that servo, stray cables and metal digging into her body and blood streaming between dark grey digits as the mech _squeezed._ Her body involuntarily flinched.  
"Do not apologize. It was Prime who harmed you, who made me think that I've lost you."  
"You didn't," the young woman opened her e/c eyes and looked at Megatron lovingly, his somber expression making her heart ache,"I'm right here. With you."  
The steel-colored mech looked at her with half-lidded optics, his expression becoming a bit lighter as his affection for her overweighed his thoughts of losing her. He nodded silently. She rested the side of her head against his servo, h/c locks shining like silk on light gray metal.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to visit Knockout?" she asked quietly, thinking back to Megatron's battle with the Prime. The warlord shook his head.  
"My scans show no damage worth treating in the medbay. My internal systems will take care of the rest."  
Y/n nodded, somewhat calmed. As her gaze traveled from the mech's face to his shoulder armor, to his chassis, she thought out loud:  
"You know, this is the first time I saw you fight. I knew you were a formidable fighter but that..." the girl looked back into red optics,"You were incredible. Now that I think back to it, to when I first saw you, it's not surprising that the Autobots were so quick to retreat once you appeared."

  
  
This was true, it really was hard to wrap her head around how insanely powerful Megatron was. And how careful he could be with her at the same time.

  
  
Megatron raised his optic ridges slightly, but then a small smile appeared on his metal lips.  
"Did you think all that I've told you was just boasting?"  
"Never," she smiled too, "But it's one thing to imagine and a whole other thing to actually see."  
"Ah," the mech nodded in understanding, the pleased glint in his optics not escaping her sight,"Then I am glad I impressed you."  
"You did, tremendously, dearest," she all but crooned quietly and the mech slowly raised her a bit higher, looking at her fondly as his optics glowed warmly from her affectionate words.  
"Y/n, would you like to rest now?" he asked softly, his voice slightly rumbling.  
"It has been a long day, hasn't it?" the young woman asked, feeling the exhaustion finally set in full-force.  
"It has. And you have been through a lot."  
  
Something in that last phrase stuck a cord in her and struck it so perfectly that she had to close her eyes, feigning sleepiness because she didn't want the mech to see the tears that immediately came to her eyes. Taking a breath that she made an effort to make as non-shaky as possible, she felt Megatron shift on the berth and lay down.  
  
"Are you...Will you be able to fall into recharge too? Are you sleepy?" Y/n asked, opening her now thankfully tearfree eyes and looking at the mech. The Decepticon lord nodded as he took out her covers and pillow from a nearby compartment. The sight of the soft things made her immediately discard her trench coat and shoes, staying in a pair of jeans and a shirt. She unceremoniously threw the trench coat and the shoes over the berth's edge and caught an amused look on the warlord's face.  
"I'll find them again...someday," she shrugged and managed to smile as she gratefully accepted the covers and the pillow, immediately cocooning herself in the soft things and sighing in delight as she felt Megatron's servo covering her in a familiar manner.  
"Sleep well, dear Y/n," she heard the lord's voice as she was already slipping into unconsciousness. She murmured something with the same meaning softly before she finally fell into the sweet embrace of sleep.

 

  
  
Several hours later, she awoke with a tremble, her eyes snapping wide open and glowing brightly, her breathing fast and shaky. The sounds of battle and of breaking bones, the smell of fire, of spilled blood and Energon, the horrifying feeling of being caught and _squeezed-_

  
A dream, just a dream.

  
The girl looked at the warlord - it seems that she hadn't woken him up. At least that was good.  
As her imagination calmed down, so did her heartbeat. Laying her heavy head back on the pillow, she forced herself to close her eyes and try to sleep again.  
Soon, she opened her eyes again and looked at the screen that usually served as a window. It was still dark, the moon wasn't even getting ready to make way for the sun.  
Taking a quiet breath, the young woman carefully pushed her pillow to the side and laid her head on the warm metal of Megatron's chassis. The steady sound of his spark pulsing soothed her gradually back into sleep.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Optimus, I'm sorry :'(
> 
> The 'smart human', btw, was Sun Tzu, the author of "The Art of War" or, as I like to call it, "Beautifully-phrased common sense".  
> Also, I wonder if anything that happened in this chapter will have consequences later on?...Hmm.
> 
> Stay tuned here and on Twitter, where I share my 'hilarious' misadventured in trying to write Starscream's name properly. (Last time I'm mentioning Twitter)
> 
> https://twitter.com/WD_Storyteller
> 
>  
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated!


	33. No Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n deals with the feelings her experience in the mine had left her with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically an angst chapter.  
> The next chapter will be uploaded sometime soon to balance things out :D
> 
> Also, it's International Women's Day! Have a good one, ladies! You are beautiful! To any gentlemen, you are also beautiful :)

 

The Nemesis was in a state of caution.

  
  
Megatron did not explicitly tell Y/n that, but she wasn't ignorant or dumb, she didn't have to be told that.  
The Decepticon lord had kept her by his side at all times for the entirety of the next day and on the 12th he had left her in his quarters with Knockout and Breakdown guarding the door until he returned. Although she herself wasn't able(or, to be honest, in the mood) to waltz around the Nemesis freely in that time, her chats with the medic, his assistant and the Vehicons gave her an idea that everyone was expected to be ready for an attack. Even though the Nemesis was cloaked, preventing the warship from being detected or infiltrated and even though the Autobots took a beating during the fight in the mine, Megatron still seemed to deem it appropriate to be ready. He knew Optimus Prime and his tactics better that anyone, Y/n thought, so she trusted his decision without a shadow of a doubt.

  
She did feel bad, though, that all this trouble was mostly because of her, because the warlord believed that Optimus Prime may want to kidnap her now that he knew that the Decepticons had some special human. If nothing else, the Decepticon lord had once told her, he'd want to kidnap her just so Megatron couldn't have her. The Autobot commander did have a habit of taking things away from Megatron. The title of Prime, the ability to live on Cybertron and now potentially Y/n. The young woman was perceptive enough to see that that was a particularly touchy subject for her beloved lord, so she did her best to follow his wishes and try and soothe him in the evenings so that he would have some recharge time and not just watch over her vigilantly all night.  
Her own progress with getting sleep was...questionable. While all the damage done to her body was long gone, the experience did a number on her mind, managing not only to make her remember being crushed in Prime's huge servo over and over, it also awakened her memories of the first time she got her powers and the time when people came to hunt her down in the forest. The accumulative effect of those memories resulted in an anxiety that came and went as it pleased. Sometimes at night, keeping her wide awake and replaying events in her head, desperately listening to Megatron's sparkbeat to anchor herself to reality, and sometimes in the middle of the day, making her summon a huge chunk of her willpower not to show how she was crumbling inside for several torturous minutes.

  
  
On the 13th, Megatron had decided to hunt down the Autobots. They were just in a fight, sustained damage, probably nearly exhausted their Energon reserve during repairs(or at least that was what Megatron theorized) and were probably going to try and find more. And Megatron knew that his enemies had a habit of scouting out the old Decepticon mines. So the warlord was going to hunt them there. After all, there was no way the Autobots could hope to even start planning to attack the Nemesis if they were hunted everywhere they went and being starved out.  
Y/n was, of course, worried for the Decepticon lord. He was unbelievably powerful, but Optimus Prime was as well, and this was war. People died in wars, most of the time unexpectedly so. Still, Y/n could see in the warlord's optics and hear in his voice that he had already decided. And he was thousands of years old, having spent a good chunk of those years at war. So the girl just had to trust in his strategy. And she did so, genuinely. She actually thought that his plan was really good and even told him so to Megatron's obvious satisfaction. Still, she asked him to be careful. Not because he lacked the strength or skill, she explained, far from it. She just cared about him so much, it was impossible not to be worried in this kind of situation. The explanation earned her a smile that she would hold in her heart for the longest time.  
  
Still, that meant that Megatron would be on standby almost all the time, waiting for alarms from old mines to activate and being ready to groundbridge there at the shortest notice.  
That left Y/n spending the time in her cabin, guarded by several Vehicons inside the room and out. There was no telling for how long the 'hunt' would continue, so she had to get used to the idea of staying in the cabin for a while. Truth be told, she didn't mind. She actually welcomed it. She was good at keeping appearances but it made her morally exhausted, especially when she tried so hard to keep her stress hidden from Megatron or Soundwave, who knew her well and were very observant. So some time in her cabin, in the company of Vehicons and, occasionally, Knockout and Breakdown(she hoped they would keep their promise to visit), would do her well, she thought.

  
  
Fortunately, she had the opportunity to request particular Vehicons to guard her, so almost all of them ended up being her friends or, at the least, acquaintances.

  
  
On the night of the 13th, when she awoke in her bedroom, her eyes wide and her body stiff as if rigor mortis had already set in, she realized that she now had to find ways to manage her anxiety without the sound or Megatron's sparkbeat or the realization of his mere presence nearby.

  
  
Okay, she had lived years and years before she met the alien lord. How did she usually deal with this...? Ah, right.  
  
The young woman opened her laptop. A funny YouTube video here, a nice fanfic to read there and, before she knew it, it was already morning anyway.

 

  
  
  
...

 

 

  
  
"Brew coffee, wait for lo~ve," the girl hummed to herself as the teaspoon quietly hit the walls of her mug, the mild smell of coffee with milk rising up from it.  
  
Walking out onto the porch, she saw three Vehicons sitting around on the floor, playing some kind of holographic card game. The guards that were outside her room had to stand according to regulation and she felt bad for them not being able to at least do something to keep the boredom at bay, but at least those inside the room could be a little more relaxed. She had heard Steve, Bob and 079 leave in the middle of the night, so these had to be...

  
"Good morning, everyone," the young woman greeted as she nodded to each of the three mechs as she sat down into her rocking chair, placing a plate of food on her lap and holding the mug in both of her hands so it could warm them soothingly.  
"So you even sleep today? We heard you watching something or other in there since we came in here," Doomtracks, the Vehicon whose fuel tank she had once patched up, asked with a smirk.  
"I'm fine with a couple hours of sleep," Y/n smirked back, "What, are you worried about me, Tracks? That's so nice of you, my friend."  
The Vehicon made a sound and threw his head back in a manner implying that he rolled his optics and the two others chuckled.  
"So what are you playing there?" the girl inquired and then took a careful sip of her beverage.  
"Praxus Fold 'Em," Brushfire - the one who she once snapped at mid-procedure - answered, "Wanna join us? Do we need to explain the rules?"  
"Nah, I know the rules. Knockout and Breakdown once explained them to me. We actually have something similar on Earth, though it's called _Texas hold 'em_ ," Y/n said, "I'll watch for now while I eat some breakfast. After that, I'll think about it. Then again, I doubt I could beat your poker faces."  
"Very funny," the third Vehicon - the ever smartass - ~~Edgel~~ Steelstrike, hmphed,"What are you even ingesting? It looks strange."  
"Tomato cheese toasts with a bit of oregano sprinkled on top," the girl answered,"Too bad you can't digest something like this, I would have gladly shared."  
"Pass," the flying Vehicon answered with a tone like she had offered him garbage,"Okay guys, we gonna continue or do you find staring at an eating human that interesting?"  
  
"Behold," Y/n said in a slightly British, hushed tone, "We now observe Y/n, a member of the homo sapiens species, as she prepares to take a bite of her first food of the day. Take note of how she parts her lips, preparing to strike her unsuspecting prey. The toast is a second too slow and-"

  
  
_Crunch_

  
  
"I...have no idea what I just watched and why I did it so attentively," Doomtracks said, confused, as the young woman finished chewing, swallowed and then chuckled.  
"It's the British accent, probably," she smirked, "You guys have access to the internet, you should watch at least one documentary on Earth sometime."  
"Pf, lame," Steelstrike made a dismissive gesture with his servo. Y/n chuckled and rolled her eyes.

  
After that, she watched the Vehicons play for a while, chatting with them as they did. Eventually, they got bored of playing and turned to asking Y/n about the incident in the mine. Apparently, word had traveled around and even got several interpretations.

  
"So that part where you shouted 'All war is based on deception! And you, you are Decepticons - you are the best at it!', did that really happen?" Brushfire asked excitedly.  
"Well, I didn't shout," the girl smiled, amused, "But yeah, I said something of the like."  
"You big on pep talk, huh?" Steelstrike smirked and she shrugged.  
"I don't actually know if it had any impact, I was just trying to keep everyone - myself included - from panicking."  
"The way I heard it, you were calm throughout the thing, if not a little too bossy for a human," Doomtracks shared and the young woman adjusted her hair a bit, sure that her ears became slightly rosy. She wasn't known for being bossy. That wasn't something people usually accused her of.  
"I...may have had a rather strict approach," she chuckled and took the last sip of her long-cold coffee,"But, hey, at least it worked. If you happen to meet the miners I was with that day, do me a favor and tell them I'm not that bossy usually."  
"Not sure about that," Brushfire said in mock thoughtfulness,"I do remember you ordering me around and telling me off in the medbay."  
"Well _that_ was because you were being a sparkling," the young woman answered in a slightly teasing tone, making the Vehicon lean back and huff and as his friends laughed at him.

  
"So...Where'd you get the ideas from, anyway?" Steelstrike asked, his usual cocky demeanor gone for the moment, genuine curiosity taking over,"I mean, that had to be a real scary situation for a human."  
"It was," Y/n admitted easily, keeping her voice calm. Vehicons weren't known for being well-mannered or sensitive, so she expected to be questioned on such topics. She already was, actually, yesterday and the day before that. But the first time it was Knockout and Breakdown, so it didn't feel as intrusive and the second time she at least had Steve who kept his two friends at bay...when he wasn't busy being nosy too. She decided that it wouldn't be too stressful for her to answer mechs' questions again, as long as they didn't cross some line.  
"So how'd you think of all that?" Steelstrike asked again, his wings slightly twitching in anticipation of her answer.  
"Well...' _All that'_   wasn't really anything wildly impressive, if you think of it," the girl said thoughtfully,"It was something I came up with when I learned what we had at our disposal and how much time we had. I also can't deny that the success of it all was made possible by the mechs who went to face the Autobots in the tunnel. They gave us the time we so desperately needed."  
"You do know that they would have been offlined whether you were there or not," Doomtracks pointed out and Y/n sighed quietly. She sometimes forgot how used all of them were to losing comrades. Still, thanks to Steve, she knew with certainty that Vehicons appreciated it when someone noticed their efforts. Tracks' serious, yet approving tone was only proving that fact.  
"I know," she nodded, then looked at the Vehicon who asked the question,"To be honest with you, Steel, it just came to me. The whole 'let them come to us' is the oldest trick in the book, if you know the terrain better than your enemy you try to make it so that they fight on your terms. I'm sure Lord Megatron has used the same tactic numerous times before. Also, it was the only way. We didn't have the numbers to just go and fight, the Autobots are stupidly capable killers. And I have seen those particular 'bots fight once before, I knew that twelve bots, even soldier-class, wasn't going to be enough. Now...From my time in the medbay, I learned that Energon, when in crystal form, is explosive and tends to cause a good amount of damage. Heck, Tracks and Brush here can testify to that, I learned that from helping to patch them up. Mine tunnels being easy to collapse is something that humanity had learned long ago and _I_   didn't know how to put explosives just so that it would collapse, but _the miners_ sure did. So all the fame goes to them."  
"And the comm.station? I heard the engineer fragged up and couldn't find what was wrong with it after the EMP," Brushfire asked, leaning a bit closer to her.  
"Well it weren't exactly comfortable and stressless conditions he was working in," Y/n reasoned calmly, cocking her head slightly to the side,"He did enough for us to send a signal to the Nemesis. If it wasn't for him, we would have all been slaughtered by a furious Optimus Prime and that Bulkhead bot."

"Oh yeah, I heard Prime messed you up real bad," Tracks blurted out and the three Vehicons looked at her curiously. Instinctively, her back straightened, her head raised a bit higher. The weaker you feel, the stronger should you appear, she told herself, trying to keep the memory of that huge dark-gray servo and those icy-blue optics at bay.  
" _Real bad,_ " she repeated as an answer, nodding.  
"Like, I heard your blood was all over Prime's servo!" Brushfire chimed in and, while she nodded, the memory of hot, sticky liquid gushing out of her wounds and pooling all around her in the Autobot's closed servo appeared in the forefront of her mind, torturing her. Not letting it show, she smirked quietly, ignoring the cold feeling in her chest as if it was an unpleasant acquaintance.  
"Yes, it was quite gruesome actually. Good thing you didn't see it."  
"I heard you told the Prime to frag off."

  
  
Now that made her laugh breathily despite her uneasiness.

  
  
"No, nothing as dramatic as that, Steel."  
"So what _did_ you say?" Tracks asked and the memory flashed before her eyes, making her heart beat faster again just as she managed to chase the previous horrible memory away.  
"He made a strange expression, so I told him that it was a little late to act all sorry when most of my blood was on his servo," Y/n answered, her voice somewhat colder,"Could I ask you guys a favor?"  
"Yeah?" Steelstrike answered for everybody, sounding a bit surprised.  
"Listen, I know you are soldiers and you have fought in this war for a _very_ long time, so war stories are an ordinary thing," the girl offered the mechs a small, patient smile, "But this is the fourth time I'm retelling this, not to mention my written, highly detailed report to Commander Soundwave, and it has been just three days. Kinda getting a bit tired of it. So if anyone wants to know, tell them what I've told you. I swear if have to re-tell it all a fifth time I'll fall asleep from boring myself."  
"What, no boasting about _'Yeah I kicked the Autobots' afts'_? Where's your warrior pride?" Tracks chuckled, a bit surprised.  
"Well, technically, I didn't do anything," the young woman chuckled too and got up, rising to her tiptoes as she stretched, "The soldiers, the miners, the mining supervisor, the engineer and, of course, Lord Megatron did most of the work."  
"So you want to say you did nothing?" Steelstrike asked, the irony thick in his tone. Modesty wasn't something the Decepticons valued much, she had noticed. Not that she planned to deny her involvement in the matter, not when she was actually proud of how it all turned out in the end.  
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Y/n crossed her arms, looking up at the Vehicon with her brow raised sightly, "Just stating the obvious. The ideas were mine and I'm glad they worked. And even though none of the Autobots died, I'm glad I was able to at least take two of them out of that fight and make them suffer for what they did to the others."  
"That's more like it," Doomtracks smirked and Y/n smiled as she turned to pick up her mug and plate.  
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I'll go chill out in my tiny human house," she stated light-heartedly as she opened her door with her foot,"No  eavesdropping, okay?"  
"Tired? But you didn't do anything!" Brushfire pointed out.  
Y/n moved her shoulder playfully and smiled smugly before walking into the cabin.  
"Knock if you need anything, just don't break down the door," she reminded before closing the door.

Then, she exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. They were her pals and her guards, she liked to spend some time with them and, usually, she would probably reimburse them for guarding her by entertaining them for longer. But, right now, she had already spent more than two hours with the Vehicons and her introverted, stressed out nature was screaming at her to get back inside the cabin for a while now.  
Yesterday, she had closed the blinds that led to the side of the room where the Vehicons were and she wasn't sure that she would open them anytime soon. She knew they were bored, but she wasn't in the mood to play a Reality-TV star right now. She wasn't in the mood for many things at the moment, actually.

 

  
She debated just throwing the mug and the plate and the sink and wash them later, but ended up making herself something else to eat. Her body seemed to have wasted a lot of energy to heal itself and do so at an unprecedented speed, so now it was demanding more nutrients and rest than ever. And taking into account that sleep was something she couldn't get much of lately, food it was. Good thing she went grocery shopping before the attack on the mine happened, she couldn't currently imagine going to the mall and acting all ordinary while picking out tomatoes.  
Another way to make her feel better was, unsurprisingly, Energon. Y/n had spent the couple days that she lived in Megatron's quarters to be as close to the alien substance as possible, remembering how it helped her heal better during her flight training sessions. The Decepticons lord didn't seem to mind, he himself was curious to see the effects Energon had on her. Good effects, as he saw with his own optics.  
She tried not to overdo it with the glowing blue liquid, however. It was still alien and she could manage without it just fine.

  
If only her anxiety didn't keep her awake so often these days.

  
Sighing, the girl stood in the middle of the room, a plate of peeled oranges and a mug of tea in her hands, and contemplated what she should do now. She wasn't in the mood for anything, if she was honest with herself.  
Even if she could leave the room and groundbridge somewhere(which she couldn't), she wouldn't want to. Currently, she wanted to hide away somewhere that seemed safe and private, where she could gather her strength - both physical and moral - without anyone being witness to that.  
She didn't want to chat with friends, the only two reasons she even kept her phone on was so Megatron could reach her and be sure she was safe and so she herself could feel safe, knowing that she had a way to instantly reach the warlord...unlike the time she was trapped in the mine with a useless phone. She loved her friends - both human and cybertronian - dearly, but the thought of idle chit chat irritated her at the moment and the last thing she wanted to do was lash out at someone. Those were also the reasons why she didn't want to go to the Vehicons again. It all seemed like too much of a bother that wouldn't bring her any satisfaction.  
She didn't want to read, her mind was too unfocused for that. A movie seemed like something she wouldn't be able to concentrate on, too. Besides, she wanted something to be able to finally embrace her mood and no movies came to mind...  
But a game did.  
Walking up to the game console, she switched it on and put in the disc she needed.  
Somber music with beautiful, haunting vocals began to play, immediately finding its way to the young woman's heart.  
Sitting down in front of the TV, Y/n placed her food and drink beside herself and took the controller into her hands.  
"Good hunter, you have returned..." a quiet, polite voice greeted her as a pale living doll on the screen bowed to her slightly.  
The dark, hauntingly beautiful world of 'Bloodborne' welcomed her once again and she happily stepped in, embracing the atmosphere and losing herself in the game for both the rest of the day and for the whole night, the music soothing the pain that was somewhere deep inside her somewhat.

  
  
Eventually, however, the girl got her fill and turned off the console, leaving the room to be lighted only by those few windows that were facing the wall and where she had left the blinds open. If she switched her attention, she could hear the voices of her Vehicon friends outside, they were discussing who could shoot a barrel from a greater distance.  
Ignoring the idea to go talk to them, she decided to try and get some sleep, even if it was morning already.

  
  
When her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes, there was silence in her head for about a second. Then, thoughts started pouring in, as if competing which one would be the first to make her heart beat faster with anxiety.

  
What was scarier - the fact that she was nearly killed by an alien or the fact that her body was doing things that human bodies weren't meant to do?  
If her life ever returned to any 'normalcy', how would she live? How strange would it be to pretend that she had to go to the damn toilet when she sometimes even forgot the damn things existed by now? And periods? Those were the first to go, and judging by all medical books she had read, it was always a sign of something in the body going off-course. How would she visit a doctor when she inevitably was forced to, for a job or something? What of blood tests? What would an x-ray show?  
Over these months, Y/n mostly made peace that she was a cybertronian proxy, something slightly different than human, something with ties to an alien race's attempt to once improve on the human genome. Hell, most of the time she was fine with it. But right now, when both bad memories and anxiety were gnawing on her soul, doubts were sure to follow, encroaching even where she thought she had confidently sorted things out.  
Forcing herself to lie still even while all she wanted to do was toss and turn, the girl opened her tired eyes and looked at the ceiling for a while. Closing her eyes again, the young woman took a deep breath. Sleep seemed to appear on the horizon, but a rather violent sudden memory of her having to jab a knife into a merc's neck made her flinch and snap awake again.

  
  
Goddamn it.

A long exhale that slipped into a quiet irritated moan left her.

 

  
  
_"You have been through a lot."_

 

  
  
Megatron's voice rang out in her head, the velvet, slightly gravelly notes of his deep voice making her hold her breath for a moment before squeezing her eyes shut, a few tears  still managing to fall despite her efforts.  
Y/n sighed, her breath slightly shaky, as she admitted to herself that her crying was always a question of 'when' and not 'if'. Despite all the changes her body went through, she was still only human, with a human soul and human emotions.  
So she let the tears fall from her closed eyes and make their way down her temples, getting lost in her hair. The tickling feeling of it made her lips twitch in an involuntary smile and that, ironically, made even more tears fall because she was not at all in a mood for smiling right now.  
As the clear, salty liquid streamed down her face, Y/n tried to keep her breathing under control, to keep any sounds from escaping her. Her guards weren't explicitly listening to her, she hoped, but with them being so close to the cabin there was a chance that their alien hearing would pick up on the crying sounds in the otherwise completely quiet house. Turning onto her side and curling into a fetal position, the girl found comfort in the softness and the warmth of the covers around her as her tears now streamed down her cheek and onto the pillow, the feeling of the damp pillow cover under her head making her take a shaky breath.

  
  
  
_"You have been through a lot."_

  
  
  
Clasping her hand over her mouth desperately, the young woman curled even more into herself, her shoulders trembling and her eyes snapping wide open as the sudden rush of the need to just endlessly weep was so strong that it made her desperately fight with everything she had against it.  
Reaching out and grasping her laptop, Y/n opened it. Her shaking fingers navigated the touchpad quickly and soon music started playing from the four wireless speakers she had placed around the room. It wasn't too loud, but it was louder than the quiet, pitiful sound that escaped her despite her best efforts as soon as music started playing. A strangled gasp and a quiet sniff followed, and the girl brought the covers up to her face.  
There was nothing bad with crying all of these emotions out, she knew that. She was only human, after all.

 

  
  
_"You have been through a lot."_

 

  
  
The young woman exhaled shakily and closed her eyes again.  
The Decepticon lord sure knew his way around words. She was happy he wasn't here right now, she wouldn't want to worry him. Hell, she wouldn't want him to see her like this, this weak and with tears just continuously flowing down her cheeks without showing signs of stopping.  
But, despite that, she'd rather have him here than in any danger. And he _was_ putting himself in danger, hunting down the Autobots. He was nothing less but mighty and an experienced strategist, but there was still this awful, painful worm called 'worry' in Y/n's soul that would always eat away at her every time Megatron was away from the Nemesis.  
_Just be safe, goddamn it,_ she thought as she sighed heavily and grasped the covers even more tightly. She knew how much was at stake for Megatron, she knew that this war was bigger than her, bigger than even Megatron himself, that it was something that would determine the future of a whole race. Even so, she hoped the warlord would be careful and not underestimate his currently cornered and desperate foes.

  
  
The Autobots. Optimus Prime.

  
  
She was mostly past flinching every time she thought of the red and blue mech and about his dark-gray servo, but that didn't mean that the memories weren't still painfully fresh. The nightmares didn't help. To top it all off, that look that Prime gave her when he thought he had killed her, it messed with her mind. It made her dream of those blue, seemingly kind optics looking at her with worry just before the huge servo squeezed the life out of her.  
  
The nauseating feeling of her blood leaving her body through all the wounds, pooling all around her and then flowing down, dripping off the Autobot commander's servo was something she wouldn't soon forget. It took a spot right up there with her other traumatic experiences, next to her being tossed off a cliff, falling and breaking every bone in her body upon impact and next to Starscream torturing her.

 

  
  
_"You have been through a lot."_

 

  
  
A series of broken gasps and quiet crying sounds followed and Y/n chuckled joylessly at how that single phrase could so easily break her every single time.

  
She has, hasn't she? She preferred to look to the brighter side of things, to make the most of the situation she was in. Not because she was that optimistic, but because it made more sense to do so. She wasn't stupid, she was fully aware that her condition was mostly a beneficial one, one that made her stronger, faster, overall more capable and granted her abilities that normal humans didn't possess. She knew that she had the opportunity to interact with actual aliens, and (relatively) friendly ones at that, an opportunity of a lifetime. Hell, she had grown to know some of them well enough to become friends with them, she shared many nice moments with them. Megatron even gave her the opportunity to travel wherever she wanted in the world, an unbelievable, impossible luxury for any other human. No one else on the planet could say that they could take a walk in the Antarctic to look at wild penguins and then, half an hour later, lounge around on a beach of a tiny Indonesian island to warm up.

  
Megatron himself was someone Y/n thought she would never have, even before he became her lover. There was just something about him, about his presence, about how he carried himself, how he talked, what he said and how he said it that made her want to thank the cybertronian deity, Primus, for giving her an opportunity to have such an outstanding, unbelievably interesting conversation partner. Megatron very quickly understood that she wasn't stupid and, to her endless gratitude, treated her accordingly, talking to her on a variety of topics, including military tactics, cosmological phenomena and literature. He told her war stories that would require one to be aware of the harsh truths of life and war to understand, stories where he had to make harsh, bloody choices in the name of trying to save his planet and bring peace and justice to it. And that was even before that fateful day when he stepped out of the Groundbridge in his holomatter avatar for the first time and embraced her like he was scared she would suddenly disappear. Since then, the bond between them only strengthened.  
Their personalities worked extremely well together too and, by this point, it was nothing less than liberating to have someone like that in her life. Whether it was Megatron venting about current or past events or him thoughtfully telling her a story from Cybertron's past, she listened with utmost attentiveness and studied the warlord's behavior, keeping an eye out for cues that meant that an action was in order, be it an expression of agreement or a quiet, soothing touch that expressed understanding. The warlord himself was very perceptive of her behavior, though that wasn't a surprise, Y/n learned not to underestimate his observation skills almost immediately after meeting him. His optics caught onto her mannerisms seemingly without effort and more than once Y/n had thought about how it was probably a skill that Megatron developed either during his rise to power or during the war. The ability to accurately interpret someone's actions was something that could save or damn lives, after all, especially in war.  
Currently, it made her predicament that much harder because she knew that the warlord had more important matters than her mental traumas and anxiety, and she had to put in all of her effort to look like she was fine. Despite being a proud and private person, she wouldn't mind sharing this predicament of hers with him, she really wouldn't. But not right now, not when he was in the middle of a military operation and contacted her in the only downtime that he allowed himself to have. He required rest and Y/n did her best to only add to his R&R time, not take away from it. She was an adult, she could manage this, she wasn't the one at war. She wouldn't forgive herself if her current problems would be a distraction for the warlord, giving the Autobots any advantage.  
So the fact that she was spending nights in the cabin was fortunate, Megatron couldn't constantly keep his optics on her. Because if he could have, Y/n had no doubt that he would have caught on eventually, despite her talent in controlling herself. Megatron was observant, he was smart and he was, most importantly, willing to care for her as she did for him. He would have found out.

 

In her thoughts about the Decepticon lord, the young woman lost her track of thought, calmed down and almost lulled herself back to sleep, the music doing nothing to hinder her because of how tired she was from lack of proper sleep.

  
  
" _You have been through a lot."_

  
  
Her tired eyes opened slightly. She stared at her screensaver with half-lidded eyes, not seeing it, immersed in her thoughts.

  
  
She has.  
Despite all the things she got to experience, it cost her a great deal of suffering.

  
  
The kidnapping. The forced participation in some 'human improvement' project. The fall. The overwhelming fear and pain, and the realization that she was going to die. The awakening and the shock of her condition. The revenge.  
The sadness of having to leave everyone and everything behind without knowing for how long. The days, weeks, months alone, coming to terms with everything, including her body's change. The shock of discovering cybertronians on Earth. The time spent under surveillance, not knowing whether the Decepticon leader would give the order to kill her off as an unneeded witness. The shock and dread when the people from before had found her. The panic and anger when Steve had left to fight the Autobots. The fear for her life. The experience of killing, actually killing people with her own hands. The pain of the injuries that they dealt her. The horror of being shot, paralyzed and about to be taken away to a fate worse than death.  
The awakening on the Nemesis. The stress of not knowing what was next. The nerve-wracking first week aboard. The pain of Starscream's torture. Her revenge.  
The sudden Groundbridge to the mine. The sight of Vehicon miners being killed with almost supernatural ease. The realization that she had to come up with something and the crushingly heavy responsibility to see her plan through.  
The screeching of metal as it dented and tore open.  
The grasp of Prime's servo.  
The pain.

  
  
_"You have been through a lot."_

  
  
  
Slowly, the girl brought up her hands and covered her mouth with them. She wasn't going to keen or weep, but it felt like she was screaming her lungs out even though no sound left her. This was why she dealt with everything she had lived through one thing at the time. Right now, when memories of all her horrible experiences in the last half-year piled up like this, it was getting too hard to breathe. Literally. She had to manually remind herself to exhale and inhale because her body was so tense that she couldn't even breathe normally.

This was bad. It was going to get better. She just had to get through this moment. This was just her mind reacting to the overwhelming events in her life. It was just her body being in thrall to her mind. This was going to pass.  
She just had to deal with this.

 

  
Her phone made a noise.  
A message.  
Only four persons had notifications unmuted right now.

Two of them were her parents. The other two were Megatron and Soundwave.  
It could be important.

  
  
Taking one shaky hand off her mouth, the young woman reached out and grabbed her phone. Swiping across the screen to unlock it, she immediately saw the preview of the message:

  
  
_Mom: Hi, sunshine! How are you doing?_

 

  
  
And there came the tears again, even more than the first time. The feeling of her damp pillow suddenly becoming too irritating, Y/n slowly sat up, holding her phone in one hand while the other stayed on her mouth, tears quickly reaching it and running over and under her fingers.  
She stared at the screen through tear-clouded eyes, blinking over and over, causing more tears to cascade down her cheeks. It felt like her heartbeat was too heavy, emitting a dull pain that traveled from the center of her chest and to her very fingertips.  
Taking a shaky breath, the girl tapped on the message, opening the app.

  
  
_Hi, mom! :) I'm fine, how are things back home?_

  
  
_Mom: Oh you know, the usual! Your dad is in the basement right now, fixing the washing machine and I'm on the couch, watching 'Say Yes To The Dress'._

  
  
_Forward my encouragements to him and please ask him not to somehow blow up the house ;)_

  
  
_Mom: Will do! :D So what have you been up to?_

  
  
_Well, I've been somewhat busy lately, but I was briefly in Berlin a couple of days ago for work._

_Let me send you a couple of photos, the Germans really know how to get ready for Christmas!_

  
  
_Mom: Really?! Wow! And you were just in NewYork, too! Honey, I know your job is mostly hush-hush, but if you can, do keep us in the loop please, even if your trip is brief._

  
  
_Sorry, I know. I just had a real busy couple of days right after the trip. I'll remember next time._

  
  
_Mom: It's okay dear, just remember to get some proper rest when you can! :-*_

  
  
**_< 3 _ **  
_-File sent-_  
_-File sent-_  
_-File sent-_  
_-File sent-_  
_-File sent-_

 

  
  
Sending her mother the photos she took just a few days ago, the young woman sighed in annoyance and wiped her face with the inside of her arm before smiling in adoration at her mother's excitement over her travels.

  
  
_Yeah, it was really cool there :) Don't worry, I got souvenirs for you. That magnet collection has to grow._

  
  
_Mom: Yes! Thank you! <3 I hope you didn't wander alone during the late evening?_

  
  
_Mooom :D_

  
  
_Well did you? >:(_

  
  
_No, I had plans for the evening._

  
_Glad to hear. Return flight?_

  
  
  
_Groundbridge home to decorate your house, actually,_ Y/n smirked, tasting salt on her lips. Her body was no longer so tense it hurt and her tears seemed to have stopped.  
She texted with her mother for a while, her phone and her laptop being the only sources of light in the room. The girl promised to call sometime soon when she realized that it was about the time when her mother usually went to bed. After that, she looked over the whole conversation, feeling the pain inside her dull. For good measure, she looked over her conversations with Megatron and her friends, both human and cybertronian. She still didn't want to talk to anyone, but that didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate those dear to her anyway.  
Getting out of bed, the young woman walked into the bathroom. A good warm shower got her feeling better and washed the salt off her face and arms. After that, she went into the living room/kitchen area of the cabin and made herself comfortable on the couch, with her laptop on her chest and a cup of deliciously smelling herbal tea on the coffee table.  
The storm had passed, she regained her usual calm again. The horrible thoughts didn't disappear completely, but they were easier to deal with now that she wasn't an anxiety-wrecked, crying mess.

  
  
She fell asleep watching an episode of some game's playthrough on YouTube.  
Her exhausted mind didn't show her any dreams.

 

  
  
*******

 

  
  
_Knock-knock-knock- **KNOCK!**_

  
  
"Hey, are you dead in there?" Steve's voice sounded outside the door and Y/n smirked. She wasn't, but she could understand why he was asking. She had woken up recently and, if her devices were to be believed, it was now 18:34 of the 15th of December and she had slept for about 17 hours. In the back of her mind, she really hoped that she wouldn't have to suffer through the same amount of sleepless hours to get some deep, healthy sleep again.

  
  
Walking up to the door, a mug of coffee in hand, the young woman opened the door and looked up at the red visor of her friend.

  
"Good evening to you too," she greeted the Vehicon with a smile, her mood and ability to deal with 'people' greatly improved by her rest.  
"It lives!" Steve chuckled as he looked at both of his comrades. If nothing in the schedule had changed, those had to be Bob and 079.  
"It does. Mostly. It will fully after completely finishing this portion of caffeine," Y/n chuckled too and took a sip out of her mug for dramatic effect.  
"Nice to see you're not dead and stuff. Wanna hang out?" Bob asked, being his usual straightforward self.  
"Sure," Y/n nodded as she walked towards her rocking chair and sat down, pulling her legs up and keeping them under herself,"So how are you guys? Any news on how the hunt on the Autobots is going?"

 

  
She didn't really need to ask. Megatron had already called her to make sure she was okay and talked to her about stuff, including the progress on the Autobot hunt. His call was what woke her in the first place, the warlord getting restless because she didn't answer his texts. It was indescribably nice to hear his voice upon waking up, especially when he realized that he woke her and dropped his voice to a certain cadence, similar to how he spoke when they both shared mornings together.

  
  
Keeping the warm mug in her hands, the girl let a small, kind smile settle on her lips and got ready to listen to her friends and her new acquaintance.  
  
"Them 'bots are probably regretting the cycle they came to this rock, Lord Megatron is hunting them so hard!" 079 barked out a laugh and Y/n nodded in acknowledgment.  
"Yep, the way I hear it, the 'bots got it hard right now. I've heard Commander Breakdown talking about them running out of Energon or something and their ventures becoming more and more desperate," Steve confirmed.  
"In other news, did you hear about Neil and Kody?" Bob snickered and Y/n perked up. She had the opportunity to talk to Megatron and Knockout today, but they didn't concern themselves with Vehicon affairs, so this was new information.  
"No, what happened?" she asked, already having made an assumption by Bob's tone that it was probably something good or, at least, funny.  
"They're kinda together now-" Steve said and Bob cut him off, eager to tell Y/n himself:  
"So I guess the Autobots attacking that mine spooked them enough or something, but yeah, they've just told us that they're together!"  
"Idiots," 079 grumbled,"Found a thing to do in the middle of the war."  
"Oh mute yourself," Bob waved the other Vehicon off dismissively,"So yeah. Finally, right?!"  
"Right," Y/n smiled a big, warm smile. Sure, love in times of war was a dangerous thing, but if the feelings were already there, there was nothing that could be done and she obviously wasn't one to judge. Especially considering she was in a relationship with the one who was leading the war, "So any chance I'll get to see them soon?"  
"Not sure," Steve scratched the back of his helm, "Kody's basically living at his station on the command bridge right now and Neil's all caught up playing the heroic and responsible mining supervisor and guarding Kody's recharge while he isn't in the mines."  
"Aaaaw," the young woman all but crooned in adoration, "When you meet them next time, don't forget to mention that I'm so very happy for them. And that I'll kick Neil in the throat if he lets pride get to his processor and gets careless."  
"Will do," Bob chuckled.

"Doubt you'd reach the throat, though," 079 smirked, looking down at her as he put a servo on his hip.  
"She'd fly up," Steve reminded and 079 seemed to freeze for a moment before muttering a quiet 'Right'.  
"You honestly never saw me flying around the ship, ever?" Y/n asked, slightly curious, "I think I do that so often nowadays that everyone has had the time to see and get used to it."  
"Well there's _a lot_ of us here," 079 pointed out with an ironic note to his voice,"So no, I've heard about it but didn't see it. Besides, I'm usually on assignments in the mines, not like the maintenance and supply mechs over here."  
"Are you implying something right now?" Bob inquired, leaning closer to the soldier-class mech.  
"That you're a shipsitting wuss," 079 smirked, obviously happy that he got a reaction out of the maintenance mech.  
"Well without us, you'd have no ship to return to," Bob scoffed and Steve put his servos on both of the mechs' shoulder armors.  
"You mechs, come on. You're both useless, don't worry," he chuckled as both Vehicons began voicing their desire to offline him rather loudly. Y/n found the display quite amusing.

  
Suddenly, the door slid open and a huge blue mech walked in.

  
  
"Breakdown!" Y/n immediately jumped to her feet, her eyes full of surprised joy.  
"Commander Breakdown!" the Vehicons fumbled as they jumped to their pedes and stood to attention.  
"At ease, as ease, the bunch of ya," the mech chuckled as he walked to the cabin and kneeled in front of Y/n, "Long time no see, huh?"  
"You can say that again," the girl said as she jumped into the mech's servo and looked up into his yellow optics, "What are you doing here, I thought you were supervising the Alabama mine now?"  
"What, you not glad to see me?" Breakdown raised an optic ridge in mock-offence and Y/n rolled her eyes, smiling widely, "Just finished the shift, your friend Neil took over for a while. Don't worry, even without me there, there's like _a bunch_ of soldier-class mechs there."

Y/n smiled at the blue mech warmly. Breakdown was probably the only officer on the Nemesis who treated Vehicons with a measure of comradery, even calling them by name in private conversations if he happened to know them. His attitude towards his subordinates made the young woman appreciate the blue bruiser even more.  
"Glad to see you get to rest too," the girl said, putting her hand on her hip as she shifted her weight to her right leg, "I've texted with Knockout, he's _not_   happy you're away this much."

  
  
"Well, that's because I'm bored out of my mind most of the time now," a familiar voice came from the doorway.

  
"Commander Knocko-"  
"Yeah, yeah, will you guys just scram out of here, there are two officers in this room, we got it," the red mech sighed in annoyance and the Vehicons were gone before Y/n and Breakdown stopped chuckling.  
"That wasn't very nice," the young woman pointed out as she looked at the red medic warmly, happy to see him.  
"Well they were crowding up the place," Knockout hmphed as he kneeled next to Breakdown and gave his partner a scolding look, "And you, the nerve of you coming here before coming to get me!"  
"Well I knew you would come running if I dropped a hint to where I was going," the blue mech gave one of his famous wide smiles.  
" _'Going to visit Y/n, come over if you don't want us to have inside jokes you won't get next meeting'_   isn't a hint, darling," Knockout stated flatly and Y/n couldn't help but laugh, that catching the attention of both Decepticons and making them chuckle.  
"Well someone's in a good mood~"  
"That's because I'm glad to see you both."

The corners of Knockout's bright red optics creased up as he gave her a pleased little smile.  
"That so? Well, I have to also admit that it's too boring in the medbay without you. Think you can plead with our mighty and amazing master to let you visit the medbay?"  
Y/n hummed thoughtfully, her gaze traveling down as she considered.  
"Well, I doubt that the medbay would be a likely place to get attacked in any event...I'll try when I get the chance."  
"Nice," Breakdown said, "Though, maybe Megatron will dismiss your guard soon, with how the things are going."  
"You mean the fact that the Autobots are basically going to start starving soon?" Y/n looked back up at the blue mech and he smirked.  
"Yeah, that too, maybe. But more because that, as much I've heard, he told the Autobots that the Prime had actually killed you."

  
"Wait, what?"  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He said whaaaaat?
> 
> Next chapter will be up soon and it's a nicer one :D


	34. The Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron's POV. Surprise :D

 

The look on Prime's face when Megatron had first told him that Y/n had died after the attack on the mine was absolutely priceless. He didn't believe it, of course, not at first.  
But Prime did not know _who_ he had injured in the mine. Sure, the bright, Energon-colored eyes were a curiosity and Megatron brought it up himself.

 

  
  
_That was such an interesting specimen,_ Megatron had said to his once-brother. _He was looking forward to examining the strange human,_ he said as their blades clashed.  
_Too bad Optimus Prime was so quick to kill the poor creature._

  
_How did it feel, to squish the little thing, to feel his servo drenched in that dark red blood?_  
_Did it take long to get off? Megatron wouldn't know, after all. Ironically, the Decepticon lord did not have experience in that field. But Prime now did._  
  
_How did it feel to know that that little fragile human was so terrified of the Autobots, of Optimus, that her broken body instinctively tried to get her away from them despite the pain and injuries, despite already being mortally injured, despite death being already inevitable at that point?_

  
_The thing died on the Nemesis shortly after,_ Megatron shared as they exchanged blows, noticing, to his satisfaction, how his enemy's optics shined with fury.  
_Some protector of life Optimus Prime was,_ the warlord smirked as he dodged a blast from the Autobot commander's ion cannon and aimed his own fusion cannon at his foe.  
  


  
The second time Megatron successfully interrupted the Autobots' attempt to harvest Energon he mentioned the girl only briefly, enough to taunt but not enough for it to seem like it was a thing he cared about beyond that. The Prime showed no emotion, but Megatron knew the Autobot leader, he was beginning to believe more and more in the honesty of Megatron's words. After all, Prime himself knew better than anyone how severely he injured the poor human. Humans, whatever genetic mutations they had, couldn't survive that. Or at least Prime didn't have any reason to suspect otherwise.

The third time they met Megatron smirked when Optimus mentioned the human girl himself. Was Megatron planning to experiment on the human, had things gone differently? Had he already experimented on the girl, was the warlord responsible for her eyes changing color? Does it matter, the Decepticon lord asked. Whatever the Decepticons planned on doing, Optimus Prime foiled their plans. In a rather surprising way, but Prime can be proud of himself, at least the Decepticons didn't have the human, right? _What a noble mech Optimus was,_ Megatron chuckled darkly as the Autobot commander charged at him.  


  
That day, after the third day Megatron had successfully hindered the Autobots' attempt to restock their Energon supply, he contacted Y/n and her sleepy voice was the most endearing thing the lord could think of, it made him regret not being able to see her at that moment.  
Soon, he thought, soon he would be able to spend nights with her again, to come out of recharge to see her on his chassis, all soft and loving. Ah, that image, it made his spark fill with the warmth that he was so addicted to by now.

  
The Prime was sure by now that she was dead, that was good. Megatron will be able to dismiss Y/n's guards soon. Soon, but not yet. He had to be sure. He was well aware that his lover, prideful and freedom-loving creature that she was, did not enjoy being kept in a room under constant surveillance. Yet, he never heard complaints. They both knew it was required and Y/n wouldn't be herself if she decided to be whiny in a serious situation such as this. On the contrary, every time they spoke or texted, it was always understanding and care that seeped from her every word. It was the need to know that he was alright, that he was uninjured and got enough recharge time. That was one of the many reasons Megatron treasured his small confidant. He was not experienced with the wish, the _need_   to care for someone he considered so precious, but he went by instinct and by Y/n's own example. It felt good to know that the young woman cared for his well-being and he made sure she wouldn't doubt his feelings were the same in that regard.  
After all, he was Megatron - the leader of the Decepticons, the mightiest mech currently online and the rightful ruler of Cybertron. His partner would receive nothing but the best, especially with how Y/n made his own life better. He had noticed that the incident in the mine had shaken her and he hoped that the couple of days that he had her by his side calmed her worries at least somewhat. Still, he wondered if there was any lasting damage. Though she certainly did not lack spirit, Y/n wasn't an experienced warrior, this kind of experience was sure to last in her memory. The warlord was currently busy with hunting down Prime and his team, yet he hoped that the young woman was alright. He also was planning to give her all the attention he wanted but couldn't currently give her as soon as it would be possible to do so. He knew she missed him. And it warmed both his ego and his spark because, Primus, did he miss having her beside him too.  
In the evening, after he had spent some time on the command bridge, he instructed Soundwave to notify him if Prime's team dared to show themselves anywhere, and then departed, intent on getting some rest. As his pedes measured the hallway at a steady pace, he reached out to his dear human.

  
  
  
_Not fallen asleep again?_  


_Y/n: No. I'm talented at sleeping, but not that good :D How is your evening going?_

  
  
_Currently on my way to read some reports and recharge, actually._

  
  
_Y/n: Glad to hear that <3_

  
  
_You do not have to worry about me recharging enough, Y/n._

_Though, I have to be honest and say that it is very much appreciated._

  
  
_Y/n: Not something I could control anyway, you know that;)_

  
  
_I do. That is what makes it so invaluable. How is your evening?_

  
  
_Y/n: It's alright. Knockout and Breakdown came over and we hung out for a while, they just left. Currently lounging around in the cabin._

  
  
_Couch?_

  
  
_Y/n: Couch._

  
  
_I see._

  
  
_Y/n: If I may be so bold, my lord...?_

  
  
_You certainly may._

  
  
_Y/n: The couch is so much better when you are on it also :D_

  
  
_Is that so? That is indeed nice to hear. My berth seems to have the same quality boost with you in it._

  
  
_Y/n: Charmer ;) <3_

  
_You had started it._

 

 

  
  
He continued to talk to her, yet there was this thought in his processor that didn't seem to want to leave. His medic and his assistant visited her. He envied them.  
Sure, his medic was to remain on the warship at all times to be ready to treat mechs after another run in with the Autobots and the blue mech was on his deserved rest time after supervising the mine and engaging the Autobots in the most recent skirmish. Still, he couldn't help but be angry with them, they had something he was denying himself for four days now.

  
  
Should he...No, he had work to do.

  
  
The memory of lying on the couch, Y/n draped over him as she nuzzled into his strange human ~~chass~~ chest, it made his spark pulse in both pleasure and frustration. He was busy with trying his best to make Prime's life as difficult as possible, but it was getting tiring on the fourth consecutive day of doing so. When had just four Earth orbital cycles become a long time?

  
  
Perhaps, just a brief visit...Just to see Y/n with his own optics. Just to make him fall into recharge faster.  
  
The warlord made sure to close the lid of his berth, transforming it into a stasis pod, as he always did when he left his body vulnerable by transferring his consciousness into a holomatter avatar. Via a radiofrequency, he gave an order to Y/n's guards to leave the room and stand guard outside it. Then, he made sure that Soundwave still did not have anything to report and that both his quarters and his stasis pod were closed securely. Closing his optics and activating the holomatter generator, the warlord felt his spark beat faster in anticipation. Huh, he had it bad indeed. Good thing he came to accept that truth by now. It was so much easier this way.

  
  
  
  
...  


 

  
  
Appearing on the porch of Y/n's small house, he immediately noticed that the blinds on her windows were closed. No wonder, he thought, with Vehicons sitting around the room at all times. He wondered what form he should take. The human one was softer and so offered more room for comfortable embraces and touches. His natural form was, well, his natural one and there was nothing quite like it. He also never forgot Y/n's words about how it was her favorite one. Finally, he decided to stick to the second option for now, he could always change it later on if needed. He raised his servo and was about to knock. Come to think of it, the young woman did say on many occasions that he was allowed to just come in. The warlord lowered his servo and put it onto the door handle. It gave under the slight pressure he applied and he pushed the door, revealing the inside of the cabin.

  
  
It was mostly dark in the room. Three candles stood on the coffee table, lighting the area around it with a warm golden light, little flames flickering slightly when he opened the door.  
His optics met Y/n's eyes as he stopped mid-way into the room. The girl closed her laptop immediately and set it aside, already getting up.

"I was told I may come in without knocking," he reminded, keeping his voice calm but not being able to hide the small smile that appeared on his faceplate the moment he saw the young woman's expression light up.  
"Always," Y/n said, her voice so affectionate that he instinctively moved forward, moving into the room properly and opened his arms right at the right moment for the girl to walk into his embrace. Closing his arms around the human, he lowered his head and nuzzled the top of her head while his digits ran through her h/c locks carefully. She, in turn, raised her arms to bring them around his neck, her hands finding just the right cables to rub the moment she embraced him. They both exhaled, leaning into each other and enjoying the closeness. There was silence for a while, the both of them just reveling in the opportunity to finally see and touch each other again.

"You could have told me you were going to come, I would have changed into something more presentable than my at-home clothes," Y/n quietly chuckled and he gave an amused hum as he distanced himself a bit, just enough to look at the girl.  
"Your 'at home clothes' are exactly what I wanted to see you in," he informed her as he raised an optic ridge,"I imagine an evening gown is uncomfortable to lounge in on a couch."  
"I see, it is the couch that you have come for," the young woman smiled slyly, but then her expression immediately changed to a much softer one, "I'm glad to see you, Megatron. I missed you."  
A borderline painful pulse in his spark made a light wave of warmth run through his whole body as the warlord looked at the girl with a fond expression.  
"I missed you too, my dear Y/n. So I decided to pay you a brief visit," he said, gently placing a lock of h/c hair behind the young woman's ear. She leaned into his touch, her eyes never leaving his optics. Leaning down more, he felt the girl lean up just before he closed his optics and covered her warm, soft lips with his own.

 

Primus, how he had missed this.  


  
What he also missed was his conversations with the girl.  
  
They sat down on the couch and almost immediately started talking, Y/n sitting comfortably on his lap. He told her about his progress with hunting down the Autobots and he didn't even think about hiding the fact that he had convinced Prime that Y/n was dead. After all, it was a logical move however one decided to look at it. It not only discouraged the Autobots from thinking of ways to get onto the Nemesis and kidnap Y/n, but it also made Megatron look like he did not have such a glaring weakness as a small fragile human. The young woman listened carefully and, to his pleasure, said that she assumed those were his reasons in the first place. He did not tell her of the other obvious advantage that decision offered, though, - the moral pain it brought Prime. And nor would he tell her, he had already spent enough time making sure that Y/n perceived the Autobot commander's expressions and actions in a way that fitted Megatron's narrative.  
He then told her of his future plans, of the traps that he had set, of how he could see the Autobots getting more desperate yet more careful, even the usually aggressive Arcee and Bulkhead being too,  _uncharacteristically_ cautious. It backed up his theory that the Autobots were running out of Energon and fast.

  
  
He wouldn't be able to pinpoint when exactly his talks with Y/n came to become so important to him that when he finally had the opportunity to engage in them, it felt nothing short of liberating. The girl was smart, she was quick to catch onto things. She would listen to him with attentiveness, her e/c eyes serious when he would talk to her about his encounters with the Autobots. She would laugh and quip when he would grouch about his subordinates, she would offer an understanding gaze, a warm smile and an affectionate, much-welcomed touch if he happened to sigh tiredly.  
When she spoke, he would listen, genuinely interested in what her thoughts on the matter were, and when he got to make her passionate about a subject, it was nothing less than delightful to engage in conversation with the girl. She was clever and understanding, much like his once-brother was, but she was also less naive and much wittier, her jokes dipping into dark, ironic and sarcastic territory, something that never was in the idealistic and overly kind Orion's nature.

There was also the aspect of their mutual affection, the fond words and touches he received and offered were nothing less than addicting to the warlord's spark.  

Yes, he could not be completely truthful with Y/n, but usually his stories needed minimal adjustments by this point, now that she possessed a knowledge of his conflict with the Autobots, even if it was a heavily edited one. He was, however, always careful with his words. Y/n was smart and was no stranger to thinking critically about things. Then again, he had already managed to make her believe what he wanted her to believe, it was merely the question of not slipping up now. And he was Megatron, he was sure he would not make such a stupid mistake. Y/n did not have to know...Not yet. Not now. Maybe, not ever. He was still not sure what his strategy about that would be. At this point, he thought, it did not matter how Y/n would find out about the truth, the result would be largely the same. And he was not going to lose her.  
In a way, even if he wasn't completely honest with her regarding his military history, he found himself being honest with the girl in a way he never before allowed himself to be. It was both worrying and exhilarating, and Megatron wasn't ready to stop indulging in this new feeling. After all, he was a greedy being and there was no way he would deny himself now.  


  
A gentle, soothing touch to the seams of his chassis armor brought him out of his thoughts.  
"Something bothering you?" Y/n's soft voice reached his audials and the warlord sighed in satisfaction, his servo tightening its grip around the girl's waist. He watched her as her hands traced his armor and as her gaze traveled across his chassis, over his Decepticon insignia and to his optics.  
"No, it is nothing, Y/n. I just got lost in thought," he assured as his digits stroked the young woman's side. She nodded, but he noticed the strange uneasiness that flashed in her eyes for a moment. He had noticed his dear human was still sometimes behaving a bit less calm, the usual feeling of harmony he normally felt surrounding her being thrown off like static in an otherwise clear radio signal. It was the little things, the momentary tensing of shoulders or faltering of a smile. Something was still off.  
"But I can see that something is bothering _you,_ " he said, voice calm as he looked into Y/n's eyes. Her eyebrows slightly raised, but she did not seem very surprised at his words.  
"Is it Prime?" Megatron asked as his grip on the girl's waist tightened slightly again. Was she having second thoughts after all, for all this time?  
"Partly," his dear human sighed softly as she leaned into him more and lay her head on his chassis, leaving him to look at the top of her head. He waited. He knew that she knew him well enough to offer him more of an answer than that.  
"It's nothing serious, Megatron," she spoke again, her hands falling to her lap and staying there, neatly placed on top of each other, "It's just that some half a year ago my life was wildly different...I like my life now, a lot actually, but there was so much that happened in these past months...I guess the incident at the mine shook the memories free a bit. I need a bit to reign them back in, if that makes sense."  
"It does," the warlord nodded, feeling bad for the human but also subconsciously glad that the thing that was bothering her did not have anything to do with her doubting him and the truth of what he had told her. One of his servos holding the young woman's waist, he combed through her h/c locks with the digits of his other one, hoping that such an act would be soothing to her. He did not have much experience in caring about anyone, much less a human, after all.  
"You are no warrior, dear Y/n, it is understandable that you may be shaken up. You have been through a lot, after all."

  
  
The girl did not tense up, nor did she flinch, but the quiet inhale she made was enough to let Megatron know he had struck a nerve.

  
  
"Y/n, I imagine you know by now that you can always talk to me," he purred, leaning down a bit, "I am aware that you are capable of handling this yourself. Yet, do not forget that I am here to keep you safe and listen to you as you have to me."  
The young woman exhaled and he saw her long slender fingers flinch slightly.  
"I know, Megatron," she said quietly as her hands raised and touched his chassis again, traveling up slowly, fingers tracing layers or armor and seams, "I know. And you have no idea how thankful I am for that, dearest."  
A low rumble of a hum reverberated in his chassis as his spark pulsed faster.  
"For now, though, the one thing I truly need is to know that you get enough rest between battles," the girl continued as she slightly shifted, turning her head up to face him and leaning up. Her hands continued their journey up as well and, as Y/n looked into his optics with a look that was more telling than any confession, her fingers slipped under his neck armor plating and caressed his cables affectionately.  
The warlord growled quietly in pleasure and affection, his crimson optics fixed on his lover's eyes. There was passion there in those e/c orbs, a scorching passion accompanied by the seriousness of someone who recognized that Megatron was at war. These weren't love-blinded dove-eyes, these were the eyes of someone who genuinely respected, trusted, _cherished_ him, someone who was determined to make his life better. It was an intense gaze, one that Megatron held with an identical one of his own as both of his arms encircled the young woman's waist.  
Without a word, Y/n let her hands slip under his helm and caress the much more sensitive metal of his face, making him sight in pleasure and look at her with half-lidded, adoring optics. Without a word, he pulled her flush against his body as his lips crashed onto hers, the small pleased sigh that escaped the girl igniting a roaring fire in his spark.

  
  
He loved her.

  
  
That scorching though flashed in his mind as his servos caressed her side and back. It flashed again as he looked into her eyes once he let her take a breath, seeing the same feeling burning brightly in her eyes. Again, when a moment later she kissed him with passion matching his own. Again, once his self-control slipped and he turned, laying her onto the couch and hovered above her, his brightly glowing red optics fixed on her, no doubt betraying his hunger.  
  
"You are so very beautiful," he said, his voice huskier than usual, his tone both admiring and greedy. His lover looked up at him, her e/c eyes holding the same adoring and perfectly sinful emotion in them. The power that look held over him was horrifying, or would be if Megatron gave that thought place in his processor. Right now, however, he wasn't able to think of anything else but the human under him-

  
  
  
An incoming message.  
From Soundwave.  
Autobots.

  
  
Megatron's optics narrowed as he hissed in displeasure. The Autobots would have hell to pay for interrupting this.

  
  
"Be safe," Y/n said softly when he explained the situation to her hastily, the fire in her eyes replaced by a gentle loving glow that made his spark swell.  
The warlord nodded and kissed her deeply before returning to his real body, the feeling of Y/n's warm lips on his own still fresh as he ordered Soundwave to forward all available information to him, opened the stasis pod and began to ready himself for a Groundbridge.  


 

  
  
*******  


 

  
  
Y/n sighed in relief once a message from Soundwave flashed on her phone. Megatron had returned on board.

  
  
Two battles in 24 hours. The Autobots were really getting desperate, weren't they?

 

  
The young woman texted Megatron a quick message to welcome him back and wish him a good night's rest before she got up to bring her empty tea mug to the sink. The tension in her body that appeared the moment the warlord got contacted by Soundwave was now gone, so she could think about things other than worrying.

  
  
It was so nice to see Megatron today, so good to be able to touch him and feel his servos on her, his lips on hers. The mere memory of it made goosebumps appear on her arms and back.  
  
Placing the clean mug onto the kitchen countertop quietly, the girl turned around and considered trying to go to sleep. She was sure she wouldn't be able to fall asleep right away, but it was worth a try. Maybe a bit of internet browsing before that, though.  
As she scrolled down some page, she let her thoughts wander.  
  
Not surprisingly, Megatron had noticed her sometimes surfacing anxiety. She didn't see the point of trying to lie to him. Not only would that be an insult to the warlord's intelligence, but it would very possibly cause misunderstandings between them. And Y/n did not like to complicate things.  
So he now knew. And, unsurprisingly, he was wise and understanding, and ready to assure her that she was safe, and she loved him so much for all of it.  
She was glad he didn't decide to visit the day before, though. A quiet admission of weakness with reasoning behind it was different than a pained wail accompanied by shaky sobs and that was what the warlord would have possibly witnessed if he had come a day earlier. She wasn't sure how the steel-colored mech would have reacted to that or how much that would worry him, and she didn't want to find out.  
Thinking of the warlord, Y/n couldn't help but let her thoughts switch to his touches again. The memories of how his servos held her, how his optics looked at her and how his voice sounded was enough to make her heart beat faster and make a small happy smile appear on her lips. And the thought of where their make out session could have lead if not for Soundwave's message, it made her take a deep breath to calm herself.

  
When she looked at the clock, it was surprisingly almost six in the morning. Megatron came back from his battle about five hours ago already...She should probably go and finally try and get some sleep. She actually felt like she could fall asleep too, her brief meeting with the warlord having soothed her nerves greatly. Closing her laptop, the girl stood up, stretched and began walking towards the bedroom.  
Megatron was the most appealing being on Earth as far as Y/n was concerned, she thought yet again. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that if the Decepticon lord had made things more intimate, she would have gladly followed along. She had an understanding of cybertronian biology thanks to spending so much time in the medbay and having a shameless medic as her friend, so she knew that cybertronians possessed similar...equipment to those of humans.

  
Brushing her hair away from her neck to let the air cool her skin there, the girl walked into her bedroom, beginning to take off her clothes to change into her pajamas.

  
She had read up on the subject of cybertronian anatomy extensively with the intention of being more helpful to Knockout and Breakdown, but it was such a genuinely interesting topic that she read medical logs and articles in her spare time on a regular basis now. Concerning what humans considered to be reproductive organs, cybertronians did not need those to reproduce. Cybertronians came online when their sparks came from the Well of All Sparks and settled inside of a protoform. Sex, or 'interface' was a way to show affection to one's partner. And a recreational pastime, of course. There was also the act of sparkbonding, but that was a whole separate subject.  
Her at-home clothes now on top of a chair and her body now covered by a simple set of long black pajama pants and a sleeveless black shirt, the girl was ready to slide under the covers and continue thinking about...things, when she heard something.

 

  
The wooden boards of the front porch creaked. The front door opened.

 

  
She was out of the bedroom before any thoughts even formed in her head. In the darkness of the living room, glowing crimson optics focused on her, making her heart skip a beat. She could see well in the dark, she could see that when the warlord started walking towards her, his steps were heavy. The second battle must have tired the mech out considerably.  
Walking towards him, Y/n offered Megatron a warm smile that she was sure he saw despite the darkness around them and raised her arms to put her hands on his helm as soon as he was close enough. Wordlessly, he leaned down as she leaned up, their lips meeting in a deep, loving kiss. Feeling strong metal arms around her waist, the young woman leaned into the mech more, earning a quiet hum of approval from him.  
  
"I thought you were recharging by now," she said softly when the kiss ended, her eyes looking into the warlord's red optics.  
"I tried," he answered simply and that was all Y/n needed to know. Megatron's trouble sleeping was one of the first things she happened to learn about him. She also knew what made the Decepticon lord fall asleep faster.  
"Come, let's get you into recharge, you must be exhausted," she said as she gently freed herself from the mech's embrace and took his servo, leading him towards the bedroom. The warlord's digits closing around her hand made a wave of warmth wash over her soul and made her smile as she glanced back at him.  
"It takes more to get me exhausted...But yes, I am tired," Megatron admitted, nodding slightly. She noticed him looking towards the couch and then towards her bedroom quickly. Oh, right, this would be the first time she would invite him into her bed. The heat that rushed up her neck and to her ears and cheeks made her hope that the mech couldn't see _that well_ in the dark.

  
  
"Make yourself comfortable," she said with a gentle smile as they stepped into the bedroom, "The bed is more comfortable than the couch, after all."  
Megatron looked at her bed, then back at her and nodded, a small yet delightfully genuine smile gracing his thin metal lips.  
"Thank you," he said as he walked forward, leading Y/n along as he still did not let go of her hand. The mattress dipped under the mech's weight considerably as he placed a knee on it and Megatron seemed to notice. A moment later, the mattress seemed to even out somewhat despite the warlord's knee still being there.  
"Mass manipulation?" Y/n inquired as the mech proceeded to lie down on the bed.  
"Indeed," he answered as he gently pulled her by the hand, urging her to lie down with him. Smiling at the mech, the young woman picked up the covers that were in the corner of the bed and threw them over herself and her beloved lord, getting comfortable beside him. She was familiar enough with his body to quickly pick the most comfortable place to place her head on.  
"Should I use the human form?" Megatron asked, his voice now quieter as he let his head fall onto the pillow,"It is softer."  
Y/n shook her head.  
"This is fine. I'll take a pillow if I need it," she assured. The warlord didn't need to know that she was planning to make sure that he was completely asleep, to the point of his holomatter avatar disappearing, before letting herself fall asleep. A deep exhale and a nod were her answer.  
"It is nice to have my pedes fit for once," he chuckled huskily after a few moments of silence and that comment made her chuckle too.  
"Well this bed _is_ about two and a half meters long, bigger than standard," she pointed out as she felt sharp digits lazily yet carefully trace her side from shoulder to hip, "Glad you're comfortable, Megatron."  
"Very much so," the mech's voice rumbled quietly as the servo that caressed her settled on her side, its weight a much-welcomed feeling to the girl. Raising her head, she looked at the warlord lovingly as he lay with his optics closed.  
"Yes?" he asked quietly, aware of her gaze.  
"Nothing. You're just a very handsome mech, that is all," Y/n chuckled softly as she caressed Megatron's chassis right above his spark. The mech smiled a sleepy smile, obviously pleased.  
"Pleasant recharge," Y/n smiled too and wished quietly as she rested her head on the warlord's metal chest again. She knew that the sparkbeat she heard was only a projection of the real thing, but it sounded real and was just as soothing.  
"Sleep well, my dear," Megatron replied, his deep voice now barely above a whisper, the grip on her side tightening momentarily before his servo relaxed once again.

  
  
Soon, when Y/n was surprisingly enough bordering on falling asleep herself, she felt the holomatter chassis her head rested on ripple and disappear, leaving the girl alone in the bed.  
Despite not being able to spend the whole night near Megatron, she was glad that she knew for a fact that he was able to fall asleep and would get some rest now. Those thoughts warming her soul, the young woman cocooned herself in the covers and closed her eyes, holding onto that sleepy feeling she had before her beloved mech disappeared.  
Fortunately, it worked as sleep came to her quickly that night.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo....I'm not saying that there will be smut in the next chapter..But, you know.
> 
> There's definitely smut in the next chapter.


	35. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Okay.**  
>  Please Read This 
> 
> Firstly, there's **Smut** in this chapter! Just warning you. The start of it is marked by a **//////** .  
>  I warned ya. I guess it's nothing too hardcore, but eeh, you know. That rating was put there for a reason ;)
> 
> Second, can we just appreciate some 'Under Your Armor' inspired art? 
> 
> https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7SXGT6XUAIhMmk.jpg  
> by the lovely TheCorvid @ https://twitter.com/ArtisticOmlette
> 
> http://oi67.tinypic.com/2l8f254.jpg  
> http://oi64.tinypic.com/9k10kl.jpg  
> by the wonderful DestructiveEmily @ https://twitter.com/DesEmily
> 
> Thank you so much! <3
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, that's all. This chapter is a longer one, so have fun!

 

Y/n awoke with a start, her heart hammering in her chest as she stared at the ceiling with wide, glowing eyes.  
  
Taking a deep breath, the girl covered her eyes with her arm as she exhaled, somewhat annoyed. She stayed like this for a minute, listening closely to her body. Excluding her unpleasant awakening, she felt like she had a mostly good rest. Taking her arm off her face, she reached for her phone and looked at the time.

  
  
December 17th, 11:12

  
  
Huh, so she got about five hours of sleep. Not bad, actually.

  
She hoped Megatron had better luck with sleeping, though, he needed it. The mental image of the sleeping warlord made her smile gently, her mood improving immediately.  
Getting off her bed, the young woman decided that she was in a mood for some exercise. Listening closely, she heard that it was Steve, Bob and 079 who were in her room right now. Wonderful, she thought as she was putting on some comfortable working out clothes, the latter of the bunch did say that he didn't have the opportunity to see her fly yet. Time to show him.  
The girl put on some music and did a few stretching exercises, working out the stiffness that had accumulated in her muscles from days of doing nothing but dealing with her anxiety. She was fairly certain that her body could handle the flying without a previous stretch, but it felt good to already be in the mood for some aerial acrobatics before putting on the wings.  
Walking up to the closet that she had repurposed as a wing storage, complete with a wall-mount area and some basic repair and cleaning tools, Y/n let her hands wander over the device. You could say anything about Knockout, but he undeniably had style. Since she had first put on the wings, he had improved on them more, both in accordance with her feedback and in his own stylistic choice. The wings now gave almost no push when they unfolded and activated and now that Y/n wasn't in danger of crashing often, the medic added a light outer shell to the metallic parts, making the wings look smooth and shiny, less like chicken bones and more like something straight out of a sci-fi comic. Even more so when the holomatter parts activated.  
Putting on the device, Y/n took the control part of it into her hand. It still looked like a facehugger from aliens, but she got used to it, learning to just appreciate the utter genius of cybertronian tech. As she walked into the living room while putting the control device on the back of her neck, the girl wondered about Knockout's idea to add some paint job to the metal base of her wings. She was actually fine with the silvery color of them already, but she had an idea for just a small, tiny adjustment. But that she could do herself, without involving the medic and his assistant.  
Y/n looked into the mirror, appreciating the way the metal and plastic hugged her body. She would unfold her wings on the porch, no need to instantly take up all the space in the room. Now that she thought about her wings and Knockout's proposition...She had first thought about putting the Decepticon insignia onto them, but she decided against that. She wasn't a Decepticon and though she loved Megatron and had friends on the Nemesis, she didn't feel like she deserved to wear something like that. It was a symbol that meant a lot and just slapping it onto her wings without a serious reason or permission from the warlord felt like she would be disrespecting the Decepticons somehow. So she dismissed the idea. No, the things she wanted to add were more lighthearted in nature, but would mean something to her. She just had to wait until she was free to travel again so she could buy some paint.  
Opening the door and walking onto the porch, Y/n was met with three glowing visors turned to her.

  
  
"Well look who decided to join us!" Steve was first to speak.  
"Whoa there look who's wearing clubbing clothes!" Bob chuckled as all of the Vehicons got to their haunches in front of the girl.  
"Obviously that's not clubbing clothes, those are workout clothes," Steve enlightened,"Those things are called leggin- Hey, you're wearing your wings!"  
"I am," Y/n smirked, looking at the third bot who had yet to speak with her, "Decided that 079 here had to see them at least once."  
There was silence for a moment before Bob cautiously said:  
"Erm, Y/n, that's not 079."  
Y/n's brows shot up and she put her hand on the center of her chest dramatically.  
"Oh, I'm so incredibly sorry, that was so insensitive of me, how could I ever-Come on guys, I heard you from inside the cabin, not cool."  
Despite scolding her guards, the young woman couldn't help but let a breathy laugh escape her, continuing to chuckle as the mechs started laughing too.  
"Well, it was worth a shot!" Bob shrugged and Y/n shook her head.  
"So about them wings..." 079 finally spoke, an impatient note in his gravelly voice, his wings raising a bit in anticipation. Even though Vehicons did not have faces in the traditional understanding of the word, their body language easily made up for it if one bothered to be observant.  
"What about them?" Y/n said in a slightly teasing voice but then decided not to make the mech wait any longer, smiling at him and sending a mental command to the device, unfolding her wings and activating their holomatter parts. Her hearing picked up on 079 gasping quietly and that made her back straighten proudly as she took a deep breath and flapped the wings once, adding to the speed with which she instantly gained altitude. She wasn't one to show off...usually. Today, however, she was in the mood to do so.

  
  
"Up here," she smiled at the Vehicons who turned their heads up and began raising to their pedes. Relishing in flying again, the girl made a small circle around the room before lowering to the mechs' visor level and hovering there.  
"You were right...it _does_ look strange," 079 said to the other two and Y/n couldn't help but laugh at that.  
"Oh, really?" she asked, raising a brow.  
"Yeah," 079 nodded, "But yeah...I can see why it could be considered somewhat cool."  
"Aaw, someone thinks I'm cool?" Y/n chuckled, crossing her arms and looking at Steve and Bob,"Do you? Or is it Kody? I bet it's Kody."  
"It's Kody," Steve nodded with a smirk, "But nah, we like it too."  
"Now you're just making me blush," the girl grinned, giving the Vehicons a thankful, warm look.  
"Y-your welcome," Bob said, trying to hide the stutter in his voice with a confident pose, his servos now on his hips and his chassis pushed forward. Dorks, the whole lot of them. Y/n had picked her guardians well.  
"So I had an idea," the young woman said, "Why don't we play a little game of 'Catch Y/n'? But do try to not squish me in the process."  
"Well that will be hard!" 079 exclaimed, "You humans are so squishy."  
"I'll be okay with an accidental break of an arm or something, just don't Hulk-clap me," Y/n rolled her eyes, ignoring the feeling of worry that began pooling inside her chest. She was getting really tired of remembering being hurt by Prime over and over, and letting that experience make her afraid of interacting with cybertronians as she pleased was out of the question. So she pushed the feeling aside and flew higher, looking at the Vehicons with a smirk.  
"So you in?" she asked, "Or are you just a bunch of lumbering giants who can't touch a human?"  
"First off, nuh-uh!" Bob said, obviously offended, "Second, touch or catch?"  
"Let's make it 'touch'," Y/n shrugged, "I feel that there are fewer chances of you breaking my wings or my spine that way. And do try to not fall over my house, please."  
"You make us sound like idiots," 079 grouched and the young woman smiled at him.  
"No, you are not idiots. But you may lack the skill to best me in this little game," her smile turned into a sly, challenging one, "But remember, this isn't that 'Shoot Shoot Bang Bang' game of yours, no weapons."  
"And I was just about to shoot ya!" Steve said in mock-disappointment, slapping his knee with a metal-on-metal clashing sound.  
"Maybe someday," Y/n chuckled before she caught something out of the corner of her eye and dodged a servo quickly.  
"Less talk," 079 smirked and the game began.  
  


...

 

  
"What in the pits were you doing here?!" Knockout demanded as soon as the door slid open and he saw the mechs sitting around the room, their cooling vents working overtime and human sitting on the roof of her house, also breathing heavily. As the Vehicons stood to attention, Y/n  looked up, chuckling at the medic's reaction.  
"Oh, you know, messing around and stuff," Y/n chuckled as she looked at Knockout's displeased and confused face, "Just a simple game of tag. Nice to see you, doctor."  
"Don't you 'nice to see you' me, Y/n," the red mech said as he stomped into the room, "You three idiots, out."  
The Vehicons ran out of the room like three mischievous children, almost running into Breakdown, who chuckled and slapped the last one of them on the shoulder good-naturedly before walking into the room and letting the door slide shut.  
"Breakdown, Knockout's making the scary eyes," Y/n called out to the blue bruiser in hopes of getting some assistance and he smiled, putting an arm around his partner's shoulders.  
"Ah, come on, Knockout, I'm sure they were just having some harmless fun."  
"I can hardly call playing tag with a bunch of idiots 'harmless'," the medic frowned, his black and red optics narrowing as he looked at the girl scoldingly,"You could have gotten hurt, you know."  
"Aaw, Knockout," Y/n smiled at the crimson mech as she flew up and towards the duo, landing on Breakdown's servo which he so timely offered,"You care."  
"Pfft," the medic rolled his optics, crossing his arms,"You're angry when I don't, you make fun of me when I do-"  
"I'm not making fun of you, sunshine, I'm thankful," Y/n cooed, giving the mech a warmhearted look, "It's genuinely nice to know you care."  
"Yes, well," Knockout coughed into his servo and made his tone sound smug,"I'm just that swell of a mech."  
"D'aaw, look at him, ya got to him," Breakdown laughed and Y/n immediately followed suit as the crimson mech made a unimpressed expression, yet sighed and shook his head with a little smile on his lips after that.  
"You two are intolerable," Knockout chuckled as he leaned a bit onto his partner, looking at Y/n with curious optics, "So aside from risking Vehicons breaking your limbs, how are you doing?"  
"The flying practice did me good," the girl said, deactivating and folding her wings, then raising her arms and stretching, "But yeah, aside from that, I'm actually okay."  
"Well ya look good," Breakdown offered, "If not a bit too sweaty."  
"Yeah, better not touch me," Knockout smirked and then looked at her in horror as the young woman wiped her forehead with her hand and reached out to touch him, "Don't you dare!"  
"I'll hold him," Breakdown chuckled as he held the medic's shoulders tightly. The exaggerated look of betrayal that the red mech looked at the blue one with was enough to make the trio laugh.  
"Well sorry, guys, you came right after a rather extreme workout session," Y/n chuckled as she sat down in Breakdown's servo.  
"Ya know, if you put on some high heels you'd really remind me of a cute little seeker, like a minicon or something," Breakdown said and Knockout smirked.  
"We could spray her with some paint to sell off the look."  
"Oh yeah, thanks guys, you're the bestest of friends," Y/n said flatly before smirking herself.

  
  
They continued to chat for a while, their conversation consisting mostly of lighthearted banter like it often did when the trio met. Then, Y/n got an idea.

  
  
"Hey guys, while I'm stuck here, I kinda wanted to paint a bit. You have some paint to spare?"  
"To _spare_?" Knockout asked, sounding insulted, and both Breakdown and Y/n chuckled.  
"Oh come on, Knockout, look at her, she's dying of boredom here," Breakdown reasoned, "Besides, how much paint could she need?"  
"No more than maybe 70 milliliters, really," the girl nodded, looking into black and red optics with her best puppy-eyed look.  
"Fine, fine, stop with the look, you both," the medic waved his servo dismissively as Y/n and the blue mech exchanged victorious looks, "So what colors do you need?"

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
On the 18th, Y/n had her unfolded wings in front of her on the room's floor and some open bottles of paint near her. Breakdown delivered them, along with a story about how he and Knockout had to use holomatter avatars to fill such small containers with paint. He would have brought the paint yesterday, but they began messing around in their avatars and things got hot and...Well, she got the point.  
  
Now, she had several colors of paint with to realise her idea with. She honestly needed only two colors, but she couldn't have her friends guessing her intentions, so now she got more to work with.  
  
Getting several paintbrushes from a box that she hadn't opened since she had last painted a landscape piece in the early days of her self-exile to the woods, Y/n also took a pencil into her hand.

  
  
Now, time to sketch out an outline...  
  


 

  
*******  


 

  
  
"Soo...?" the girl asked on the next day as she stood in front of her two friends, on Breakdown's servo.

  
  
Her wings largely ramained the same, yet now the tips of the metallic parts had somewhat swirly patterns painted onto them, the colors of the medic and his assistant now adorning the silvery metal. The pattern on the tip of the left wing was painted with crimson paint and the one on the right wing was painted with cobalt blue. Both wings had little details painted somewhere inside or between the swirls, the color of them being the one of the opposing wing. It was a little, simple edition to the wings' look yet Y/n herself was glad with how it turned out.

  
  
"Let me look closer," the medic said, reaching out. Deactivating the holomatter parts of the wings, Y/n watched as the red mech carefully touched the underside of the wing with his digit, "This is..."  
"D'aaw, Y/n, did ya paint them in our colors?" Breakdown gave her his famous grin as he looked over both of her wings.  
"I did," she chuckled, "I do own them to you both. And I own you my flying lessons."  
"I love it!" the blue bruiser seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the addition to her wings, "Knockout, ya okay there?"  
"Yeah, I mean yes," the crimson medic smiled, his expression pleased, "Just admired the paintjob for a klik. The little touches color are a nice detail. Learned that color coordination from me, doll?~"  
"Yeah, that too," Y/n smirked, looking over her left wing and then the right, "But I mostly thought about the two of you, well, going servo-in-servo in my mind. So neither wing is just one color, if you get what I mean."  
Knockout blinked, his black and red optics surprised, the smug expression he always seemed to wear gone for a moment. Breakdown, on the contrary,  didn't seem surprised at all, laughing breathily and carefully placing his blunt, thick digit onto her head and ruffling her hair.  
"Hahah, nice job, kid! I think doc over here is flattered too."  
"Well of course I am," Knockout quickly regained his usual demeanor, gracing Y/n with a charming smile as he brought his digit up to the corner his lips,"Aren't you a sweetspark, doll?"  
"I'm glad you like it," the young woman sighed in relief and smiled brightly, trying to fix her hair as soon as the blue mech took his digit off her.  
"Oh, we do," the medic assured, his voice dipping a bit lower for that one moment, letting Y/n know that he was serious. Then, just as fast, he said with his normal, relaxed tone:  
"Can't wait to go racing with you again, doll. After this, I feel the need to make humans throw money at you."  
Y/n couldn't help but chuckle.

  
  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
  
It was the evening of the 20th of December when a knock on her door made Y/n look up from her tablet.  
It sounded more like a digit-on-door kind of knock than a knuckles-on-door knock and the girl wondered if the earlier shuffling she heard but didn't pay attention to had anything to do with it.

  
"Coming!" she called out as she threw off her blanket, set aside her tablet and the notebook she was writing notes in and got up. Walking up to the door, the young woman opened it and looked up at the Vehicon who was now staring at her.  
  
"...Yes?" she smiled, her eyes curious.  
  
"Hey there, Y/n," Kody said in a friendly yet tired voice and Y/n could feel genuine joy wash over her at meeting her friend for the first time in a long while.  
"Kody," she said, her voice warm as she walked out onto the porch, "So glad to see you. How are you?"  
"Well, at my station, most of the time," the mech chuckled quietly, "But we wanted to pay you a visit for a while, so here we are."  
"We?" Y/n raised a brow.  
"Sup, bossy lady."  
"Neil," the girl smiled as widely as she could, looking at the mech over Kody's shoulder, "You guys, I thought you were both super busy."  
"We are, but this one here just _had_ to see you," Neil smirked.  
"I wanted to since the mine thing, but, you know," Kody shrugged and Y/n looked back at him, offering him an understanding smile.  
"I know, I know," she assured, "I heard about how busy you both were. I honestly could have waited, you guys, but I'm glad you came to visit me."  
"Is that _all_ you've heard about us?" Neil asked slyly and Kody immediately nudged him with his elbow, "Ouch, don't be like that."

  
Y/n chuckled.

  
"No, that was not all I heard. I imagine your snickering friends in the corner there forwarded my congratulations, but I'll say it anyway - I'm happy for both of you," she said with genuine warmth to her voice.  
"Thanks," Neil said as he nodded, at the same time managing to very humanly flip off Steve, Bob and 079 without looking at them, while they, indeed, were snickering in the corner.  
"Thank you," Kody also nodded, "That's...Well, you could say that it's part of the reason why we're here."  
"Hm?" the young woman raised her brows as she blinked in surprise.  
"We, eh, kinda have a present for ya," Neil said, scratching the back of his helm, "It was Kody's idea."  
Y/n blinked again. A present?...  
"Well, it's nothing special, really," the younger Vehicon said as he hesitated for a while before reaching out, a container roughtly the size of a shoebox in his closed servo. Instinctively putting her hands out, Y/n caught the box as the mech let go of it.  
"I, ah-" she looked at the container and at the mechs, not bothering to hide how touched she was.  
"The box is not the present, Y/n," Neil quipped, "Open it, then say if you like it."  
Chuckling, she nodded and opened the box, her eyes snapping wide open as she saw what was inside.  
A beautiful, amazingly clear piece of crystal lay in the box, it's color a warm-honey gold. The stone was roughly the size of a one liter water bottle and seemed to literally glow from within. And even though it wasn't shaped into any form, it was beautiful the way it was, as an amazing piece of mineral that Y/n had never seen before.  
"It's beautiful," she said softly, raising her gaze and giving both mechs a thankful look, "Thank you."  
"Glad you like it, it's not from your planet so you won't find anything like it here," Neil said with a proud voice while Kody nodded.  
"It's from a planet Neil was supervising one of the mining operations on. He knew I was curious about it but couldn't leave the ship, so he brought this back to show me," Kody explained and both Steve and Bob made a sound of endearment out of the corner while 079 just chuckled quietly.  
"Ohshuddup," Neil grouched and Kody just sighed. Y/n, however, was still shocked at her present.  
"I...thank you, both of you," she repeated, touched to the very core of her soul, "But can I have this? I mean, it's something Neil gave you."  
"Nah, this is only part of the whole stone, we figured a piece the size of your leg would be a bit big for you," the mining supervisor answered.  
"And also, even if it was the whole stone...you brought back something much more valuable the other week," Kody pointed out. Y/n immediately caught on onto what he meant and the smile she gave both mechs was equal parts thankful and happy.  
"Huh? What did she- _Oooh,_ got it," Bob's voice sounded from the corner of the room right before a sound of two servos hitting a metal helm followed, "Ouch! Come on, guys."  
"Shut it," 079 sighed and Bob, surprisingly, obliged.

  
  
"Thanks," the girl repeated again as her eyes traveled from Kody to Neil and back,"I won't forget this."  
"Right back at you," Neil said, nodding.  
"We can't stay for long," Kody said, also nodding, "But a half an hour won't change much. Wanna fill us in on everything we missed?"  
  
That was the moment when Steve and Bob appeared right beside their friends, interrupting one another in their attempts to be the first one to fill them in, the room quickly descending into a very familiar kind of chaos.  
Looking at her present and then back at the Vehicons, Y/n sat down in her rocking chair, gently putting the box on her lap and watching her friends fool around.  
  


 

  
  
*******  


 

  
  
"...so I am fairly sure that the Autobots either found an alternate spot to harvest Energon from or decided to lay low for a while, deciding not to waste what they have left," Megatron said, sighing and closing his eyes, letting himself enjoy Y/n touches.  
  
He had come to visit her in the evening of the 21st, and now they were on the couch, Y/n sitting in the corner of it and the warlord, in his human avatar, lying down with his head on the girl's lap while she gently massaged his head and neck.  
  
"I'd think so too," the young woman agreed quietly, "With them not showing up for the last five days, I can't imagine it being anything else in their current circumstances."  
The Decepticon lord nodded, not opening his eyes. Y/n looked at his face lovingly.  
The room was lit only by the candles on the coffee table and the lights on the Christmas tree, coloring everything in a golden-amber light, letting shadows soften every angle in the room. In this room, with the aid of this gentle, warm light it was easy to imagine that there wasn't a whole warship outside and it was just the two of them, with nothing around for miles. The faint smell of the tree only added to the illusion and Y/n smiled, gently running her fingers through silvery-white hair, earning a hum of approval from Megatron.  
"With how things are progressing, I will be able to dismiss your guards quite soon," he said thoughtfully and she couldn't help but get giddy at the idea.  
"That would be nice," she answered softly, letting her hands reach the lord's temples, "You think it could happen before the 24th or the 25th?"  
"The 24th or 25th?" Megatron asked quietly and let out a sigh of pleasure when the girl started applying some gentle pressure to his temples in small circular motions, making Y/n smile at seeing him enjoy her care. Gods knew he deserved some relaxation.  
"If not, I'll understand," she said quietly, being completely honest, "It's just that it will be Christmas then and I would be happy to visit my family, if only for a brief moment."  
"Ah," the warlord nodded, no doubt remembering what she had once told him about winter festivities,"We will see. I cannot give you my word yet, but I will inform you tomorrow evening or on the morning of the 23rd."  
"Thank you," the young woman said as her hands moved carefully behind the man's ears and continued their motions there.  
"No need to thank me yet," the warlord reasoned and Y/n smiled warmly.  
"There is, you've done so much to keep me safe," she said softly and, leaning down, placed a quick kiss onto the man's lips, the feeling of his lower lip on her upper lip and vice-versa an unusual, but definitely pleasurable sensation, "So thank you."  
As she pulled away from the warlord's lips and raised up a bit, she was met with piercing gaze of his dark red eyes.  
"Of course I did, how could I not?" the man answered, his tone serious with a note of thoughtfulness, his eyes looking over her face. Megatron stayed silent, just looking at the girl for a long moment before raising his hand and gently touching her cheek, tracing his fingertips along it. He then closed his eyes and sighed, and Y/n decided that the sigh was one of tiredness more than anything else, so she resumed her caresses.  
"Rest, dear," she said softly, leaning down again to gently kiss the Decepticon lord's forehead before she straightened her back, sitting more comfortably. Megatron took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, letting himself just enjoy her ministrations.

  
There was something incredibly flattering about this, Y/n thought, about such a powerful, strong-willed being, a gladiator, a warlord to let himself relax in her presence, to allow himself to be cared for by someone. The amount of trust something like that had to require made the girl's heart both swell and ache because she knew from both Megatron's stories and his whole demeanor that he was not one to trust someone easily. And yet there he was, resting, a relaxed expression on his scarred face. Infatuation was one thing, trust - especially for someone like Megatron - that went so many levels deeper that Y/n couldn't help but be touched and very, very happy.

 

  
  
  
*******

 

  
  
  
Y/n was positively glowing.  
Her anxiety was becoming less and less bothersome, she hadn't woken up from a nightmare in days and Megatron just texted her that her guard was being lifted and she could go home for Christmas.  
  
Sending a joyful, thankful voice message to the warlord, the young woman went out onto the porch to thank the Vehicons and then returned inside, beginning to rummage through her bags and boxes. She had long since bought presents for her parents and friends, but until now she didn't want to hype herself up that she would have the opportunity to give those presents on time.  
She called her parents, telling them that she could make it after all. Unsurprisingly, they were very happy to hear that.  
So there she was, wrapping the presents, the sound of colorful wrapping paper rustling filling the living room of the cabin. With everything that had happened, being in a holiday mood was something that was out of reach for the girl until now.  
But now she actually noticed how nice the Christmas tree smelled, how the decorations shined and shimmered, how the piece of the alien gemstone glowed warmly on a shelf next to the huge pine cone Y/n had once brought back from her travels with Megatron. Her mood peaceful, somewhat nostalgic, the young woman began to hum to herself:

  
  
_I'll be home for Christmas_  
_You can plan on me..._

  
  
  
The wooden boards on the front porch creaked. She smiled.

  
  
  
_Please have snow and mistletoe..._

  
  
  
The door opened. Her hands flinched in a slight flash of nervousness and shyness, yet her voice did not waver from its calm, happy tone.

  
  
  
_And presents on the tree._  
_Christmas Eve will find me_  
_Where the lovelight gleams._  
_I'll be home for Christmas..._

  
  
She turned around, greeting the warlord at her doorstep with a fond smile, shrugging lightly as she chuckled.

  
  
"Christmas songs. I warned you I had a weakness for those this time of year," the girl said. The mech gave her a small smile, his red optics looking at her warmly.  
"I do not mind in the slightest," Megatron said as he closed the door, walked over to her and kneeled beside her on the rug, looking over the mess of different colored wrapping paper and the presents themselves. An amused smirk was his reaction to the whole display. Then, the warlord put his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him as he kissed her. Kissing back, Y/n let her hands slip up his steel-gray chassis and around his neck, gladly letting the mech bring her closer to him, feeling a light purr come from him when her body pressed against his.  
  
As they pulled apart, she caught the warlord's gaze falling to her lips before returning to her eyes.  
"I have an offer for you," he said, his deep voice both soothing and electrifying, his lip plates so distractingly close to her own lips still.  
"I'm listening," she answered, throwing the mech a look from under her lashes as if trying to get revenge on him for how he made her feel. It seemed to work because he leaned down and claimed her lips once more, his digits scraping her back with playful gentleness one wouldn't expect from the Decepticon lord.  
"As I was saying," Megatron said once the kiss ended, a satisfied little smile playing on his lips, "Your Christmas arrangements with your family are planned for the next two days. Today, however, I propose a walk."  
Y/n's expression lit up. Outside world! With Megatron! The deep chuckle from the mech meant that her change of expression was not a subtle one.  
"I have one last present to wrap and then take me wherever you want," Y/n said, smiling lovingly. The mech nodded, letting her out of his embrace and, before she turned her attention to the last present, she placed a sweet little kiss on Megatron's cheek. The little, unexpected displays of affection often caught him off-guard and it was nothing short of endearing to watch the barely-noticeable, momentary expression of surprise that appeared on the warlord's face before being replaced by a pleased smile. The same was true for this time too and Y/n grinned before looking to the pile of wrapping paper and the last unwrapped present.  
"And who is this one meant for?" Megatron asked, looking at the little box too.  
"My second cousin," the girl answered as she grabbed a piece of blue wrapping paper with Stormtroopers on it, it rustling softly under her fingers as she began wrapping the box, "He's back from Los Angeles for the holidays and I know for a fact he wants a new microphone for his recording sessions."  
"Microphone?"  
"Mhmm," she hummed as she applied some clear tape to the paper and reached out for a silver ribbon,"He's a singer."  
"That so?" the warlord mused from behind, right above her ear.  
"Yep," Y/n leaned back so that her back touched the mech's chassis and planted a quick kiss to his chin before leaning forward, chuckling, a light-hearted mood fully settling itself in her heart,"He's popular on YouTube, but he'll be having his first live concert sometime soon. I plan to attend, actually."  
The moment she was finished with tying the bow, two strong metal arms encircled her waist and pulled her back, against the warlord's chassis. Relaxing against him, she let out a quiet hum and immediately heard a low, satisfied rumble reverberating in the mech's metal chest.

  
For all of his impressive intelligence and eloquence, Megatron was a deeply instinct-relying and -acting being, Y/n thought absentmindedly as her eyes closed in content. Much like when she had fist saw him, she still thought that there was something about the Decepticon lord that made him appear both regal and predatory simultaneously. And that line of thought only strengthened the more time she got to spend with him. She loved all of it, both the oratory prowess and the deep, satisfied growls, the proud posture and the sharp digits and dentas, the gentle touches he gave her and the horrifying amount of power he possessed.  
"Do not fall asleep now, Y/n," the mech's amused voice purred above her ear and she smiled, putting her arms on top of his around her waist.  
"Just thinking," she answered softly.  
"About..?"  
"You."  
"Ah."  
She heard a happy little hum leave her.  
"As you can imagine, nothing bad."  
"I would hope so," the mech said in mock-thoughtfulness and both of them chuckled.  
"So where are we going?" Y/n asked, opening her eyes to look down at the arms that had her in their embrace, running a hand along the steel-colored metal.  
"A place I know you will like."

  
  
...

  
  
It was strange standing in front of a Groundbridge after being completely cut off from it for so long. Both joy and nervousness mixed in her heart when she saw the blue and green vortex open in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she looked to the side, where Soundwave was standing.  
All was good. This time, it really was Soundwave who opened the portal. No need for alarm.  
Telling herself that, Y/n straightened her back and looked herself over. Megatron had told her that they were going to a city, so she dressed appropriately, maybe even on the fancy side. Closing her winter coat, the young woman heard someone walk up to her from behind.

  
"Ready?" Megatron asked and she looked him, nodding. Then, she saw something. As she said her words of thanks to Soundwave and they walked into the vortex, she pointed out, smiling:  
"I see your coat got thicker. The scarf suits you too."  
"Thank you. After our last public outing, I decided they indeed were in order," the warlord nodded, adjusting the dark gray scarf, "As for you, you look lovely."  
"Thanks," Y/n smiled happily, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit from pure joy. They stepped out of the Groundbridge and the girl immediately looked around. Her eyes snapped wide open.  
"This is the abandoned stadium!" she gasped, looking over the huge snow-covered piece of land surrounded by thousands of old plastic seats and dilapidated billboards what bore graffiti on them, the bright colors of the spraypaint contrasting against the light gray sky, "You brought me home..."  
She turned to the man, finding a look of silent inquiry on his face. Did he really have even the smallest doubt whether she liked this move of his? _Really?_  
"You brought me home," Y/n repeated softly, giving Megatron the most loving smile she could. The warlord answered with a small nod.  
"Come here," she asked, barely above a whisper, as she stepped closer to the man, reached out to get her arms around his neck and stood on her tip-toes. Even if he was in his human-looking avatar, he still had an impressive height of two meters. The corners of Megatron's lips twitched, showing her a kind, pleased smile momentarily before he leaned down and met her half-way in a deep, heartfelt kiss, wrapping his arms around her.  
"I should accompany you home more often, it seems," the man smirked when their lips parted, the small visible puff of air that came from his mouth hitting her lips while he still heldher close to himself.  
"I would not be against that by any means," Y/n also smirked, raising a brow, "But are you ready for the dangers that treading into my home city inevitably will bring?"  
"Running into one of your former teachers or one your friends?" Megatron raised his brow too, amused, "Yes. I am sure I have enough military experience to take any of them out."  
"Megatrooon," the girl grinned, her tone mock-scolding. The man smirked again.

  
  
A few minutes later, they walked into a tunnel beneath the rows of seats, the dark, concrete passage causing Y/n to flash back to the Alabama mine. The young woman stubbornly shook the thought off. She wouldn't allow every little thing to hinder her. The external reminders were nothing compared to the thoughts that came from deep down inside her own mind, and she was about done with bringing those under control already. Proudly, she walked through the old tunnel, focusing her attention to the dozens of graffiti on the cracked walls as the sound of her heels echoed throughout the passage.  
"I remember when we were younger," the girl said with a small smile, her tone having a nostalgic note to it, "My friends brought me here for the first time."  
"What for?" he heard the man beside her ask.  
"I don't know, we were teenagers and it said 'KEEP OUT' on the gate," Y/n shrugged, chuckling, "Also, my friends were of the adventurous type."  
"And you?"  
"And I was the type who would wear a classy blouse and heels, and say that what we were doing was illegal and stupid, and that I didn't want them to get in trouble...And then be all like 'No you can totally climb this fence, watch me!' "  
The chuckle that came from the warlord was absolutely delicious, made only better by the fact that it echoed off the walls.  
"I see you have not changed much since then," he mused as they walked out of the passage. Y/n smirked.  
"If I did, then not by much. Come on, this way," she said, nodding to the side and beginning to walk along the gated fence, the fluffy, freshly fallen snow making no sound under their feet.  
"I thought you were going to show me how you can _totally_ climb the fence," Megatron teased, but followed and Y/n rolled her eyes, letting a laugh escape her, the puff of air from it rising up and disappearing into the cold winter air.  
"Oh I'm _way_ _too mature_ for that," the girl said, throwing the man a sly glance, "I also may know where a hole in the fence is."  
"You do realize that either of us could easily tear a new hole in this poor excuse of an enclosure?"  
She could just feel his brow raise up inquisitively.  
"Yep. But that would make the way in too easy for other people. Kids that want to get in, they either have to be observant to find the hole, be motivated enough to climb the fence...or at least bring wire-cutters," she answered with a dramatic wave of her hand, making her voice sound proud of the idea.  
"Ah, I see," the man behind her smirked as they stopped beside a wide, darkened from age, wooden board.  
"Still not fixed," Y/n chuckled as she easily pushed the board aside with one hand. That enhanced strength was such a pleasure to have.  
"Still not fixed since...how many years?" Megatron asked as he watched her duck into the hole. The girl, emerging on the other side of the fence, looked at the warlord through the rusted wires, a grin playing on her lips.  
"Years?...Yes, sure, let us say years."  
Megatron raised a brow, then quickly ducked and stood back to his full height, towering over her.  
"I'm listening," he looked at her inquisitively, his dark red eyes looking into her own. Y/n moved her shoulder playfully and adjusted her scarf, chuckling.  
"No, no, you keep thinking that I'm this ever mature elegant lady and never since my teenage years visited the place," she said, lightly stomping twice to shake the snow off her boots and then turning around, beginning to walk away.  
Behind her, she could hear Megatron smirking.

 

  
  
This was amazing, it was absolutely delightful!  
  
With everything that happened to her, she forgot how she liked winter, in her home city no less. And now, with snow everywhere, with Christmas decorations hanging above streets and shining in every shop's window, with Christmas marketplaces in every square big enough to house one, a grin was on her lips permanently.  
She had asked Megatron if he would like to know more about the city. He did. She asked if he wanted to know stories that happened to her in one place or another as they passed those places. He did. She asked him how excited she could be without irritating him. He kissed her and smirked, graciously giving her his blessing to be as excited as she wanted to be as he offered her his arm. She kissed him three more times for good measure.

  
  
This is the statue of a famous writer and philosopher. That is a hotel where there are koi fishes swimming in the indoor fountain. This is the Museum of arts, notice the sculpture on the corner of it, the architect had a particular reason to put it there and make it look like that. That is the sushi place where she usually meets with her girlfriends. Oh, and that bus! It drives past her school and has a stop near her house!  
  
Megatron regarded the places and things she pointed out with calm interest, looking over everything as he nodded. He seemed to look at her more, though, her exceptionally happy mood making the corners of the warlord's lips quirk up more than once.

  
  
As they walked into one of the main Christmas marketplaces, Y/n took a deep breath and focused, filtering out the sheer number of human presences in the place. Then, she was okay again, ready to show her beloved lord around. There were many people there, sure, but not enough to make walking around a suffocating mess of an affair. It was the middle of the workday, so it was very much manageable, especially for Megatron who, on top of not being a fan of humans, was a _big_ man, requiring a considerable amount of space to walk freely.  
All around them were sounds unique to the place and time. Bells jingling, merchants and buyers talking, coins and wares passing between hands, Christmas songs playing, the old wooden Christmas carousel turning to the sound of a traditional tune. In some places, real cauldrons stood, hot alcoholic and non-alcohilic drinks brewing above the fire. There were, of course, many cutely-decorated wooden booths where all sorts of things were sold. Trinkets, Christmas decorations, hand-made scarves, socks and mittens, wares made of wood or leather, all kinds of food and drink.  
The smell of eggnog, mulled wine and a huge variety of holiday meals was in the air, teasing the senses, making Y/n even more nostalgic and joyful. Her excitement died down a little, a calm sense of happiness settling itself in her heart. She went along the rows of booths, stopping here and there to either look at something herself or let Megatron look at something that had caught his eye.

  
The man himself seemed to catch quite a few people's eyes, she noticed. Y/n wasn't surprised. He was tall, handsome and had this unmistakable air of authority around him, it was no wonder women and men threw prolonged glances at him. The girl wasn't concerned, however. These were natural human reactions to seeing a handsome man and she was anything but unreasonable. Besides, she was used to getting glances from people too, she knew firsthand that one couldn't help it if people decided to check you out. Hell, she hoped no one decided to try to come onto her, _that_ she definitely didn't want to happen with Megatron around. While she was confident that the warlord would handle it well(at least without breaking anybody's limbs), she still wouldn't want the situation to take place anyway.

  
"Young miss!" she heard a voice from a nearby booth and looked there, curious. An elderly man stood there, behind the counter, his slightly chubby face bright and welcoming. Somehow, he felt familia- Oh. _Oooh!_  
"Hello there!" Y/n hurried to the booth, little sparks of joy dancing in her e/c eyes, "I hoped you would be here this year too!"  
"Every year, for 27 years," the man proudly said, his small round glasses catching the light from the Christmas lights that hung from the roof of his booth. Though the man's name escaped Y/n, she knew his face. She had bought both homemade marmalade and wine from him for years.  
"You look absolutely radiant, deary," the merchant smiled, dimples appearing on his cheeks as he stroked his short silver goatee.  
"Oh well thank you," Y/n smiled happily, "And you look as you have since I've met you. Where's that immortality pond you seem to bath in?"  
The man laughed - a bright, genuine sound.  
"I'll tell you my secret," he leaned over the counter and moved his eyebrows mysteriously, "Once you get to the point where you look like a grandpa, it kinda stays there."  
Both of them chuckled. Then, she felt the weight of Megatron's hand on her right shoulder.  
"Ah, hey," she said warmly, looking up at the man. He nodded and they both looked back at the merchant.  
"Aaah, I see~" the elderly man chuckled, "Nice to see you in some company, miss. You better treat one of my best customers well, sir."  
The last words were, of course, aimed at Megatron who calmly answered:  
"I believe I have."  
"He has and does," Y/n confirmed with a giggle.  
"Good," the man smiled, satisfied, "Now, may I interest such a beautiful couple in some wine tasting?"

  
  
This was the first time someone called them a couple to her face and with Megatron around to hear it. She wasn't one to blush easily but the words instantly made her cheeks rosier and she hid her slightly bashful state behind a chuckle.  
  
"I wouldn't be against that. Would you like to taste some wines and foods with me?" the young woman asked, looking back at her companion. Sure, the warlord couldn't get drunk - holomatter bodies, while incredibly impressive, able to even replicate blood(or a substance that looked like it), still weren't real enough to either digest or get affected by food or drink, simply disintegrating everything one ingested. But one sure could taste things. That she learned when Knockout and Breakdown managed to take bites out of every single piece of food she had in the cabin some time ago.  
"Why not?" Megatron nodded, stepping closer to the booth, now being beside her.  
"Wonderful! You've come at the perfect time, just before the after-work wave hits," the older man said as he started opening bottles and taking out little tasting cups.  
"The wine here is really nice," Y/n said to the warlord as they waited, "Not only does he have classic wine made from grapes, but also blackberry wine, cherry wine, blueberry wine and a whole lot more."  
"Ah, I see. I imagine such a lover of sweets like you would appreciate that," Megatron nodded, giving the selection of food and drink a brief look before settling his gaze on her.  
"Oh I do," the girl readily agreed.  
"I;m guessing the sir appreciates something stronger," the merchant said with a smirk, "I do have chestnut whiskey and vodka with a touch of cranberry if you'd like to sample later, after the wine of course."  
"Wouldn't want to lower the grade as we drink," Y/n chuckled, knowing that the same concept of drinking applied to Energon so her companion would get the meaning behind their words.  
"Indeed," Megatron nodded, looking to the little cups, now filled with dark purple liquid, that the merchant put in front of them.

  
"Blueberry," the old man said with a sly glint in his eye as he looked to Y/n, "Your favorite if I remember correctly?"  
The girl smiled brightly as she took off her glove and took the little plastic sampling cup into her hand.  
"It is, the way you make it is a true artisan's work, really," she praised and the merchant puffed his chest out proudly.  
"Quite the 'tasting' if you know what you are drinking already," Megatron mused as he raised his brow slightly. Both the merchant and Y/n chuckled.  
"The good man here is just so nice that he likes to treat his customers," Y/n said, nodding to the seller.  
"Only the cute ones," the merchant winked at her and the girl touched her cheek with the tips of her fingers as she wore a flattered look. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see an amused expression on the warlord's face.  
"Anyway. Blueberry," the young woman said, turning to her companion and raising the cup slightly, "Humor me?..."  
The Decepticon lord's eyes glowed with a fond, warm light and he touched his cup, comically small in his large hand, to hers.  
"To true artisans," Y/n said kindly, briefly looking to the man behind the counter, "Thank you for treating us."  
Megatron didn't react much to the toast but graciously drank to that as the older man all but glowed with pride.  
"Good?" the merchant asked them as the drink was gone.  
"Good, as good as I remember it," Y/n praised and then chuckled, "It has been a while since I last drank alcohol, come to think of it."  
"It has," the warlord nodded,"For one who drinks so rarely, you know what you like quite well."  
"It's _because_ I drink so rarely," the young woman smiled, "I have to know what I like or I risk not drinking at all, ever."  
"Now we can't let _that_ happen," the older(or, come to think of it, older _looking_ ) man chuckled, his eyes creasing up, "Now, cherry."  
Again, Y/n took the cup into her hand and raised it.  
"To us?"  
That toast did seem to please the warlord. His eyes looked at her with calm appreciation as he touched his cup to hers once again.  
"To us."

  
About ten minutes later, they both were already walking along other booths, a festive-looking bag of goodies in Y/n's hands as she looked over everything.  
"...nd mom loves the raspberry marmalade from here, so she'll be over the moon about this."  
"Are you planning to leave anything from there to yourself?" the man beside her asked, raising a brow.  
"A box of forestberry marmalades. And a couple bottles of wine, in case we have a highgrade evening," the girl answered as she finally left the bag alone and began carrying it normally.  
"Y/n," her companion said with a certain tone, as if he was reminding her of something, as he offered her his hand, palm up, "The bag."  
"Oh," the girl blinked in surprise but a moment later smiled gratefully, giving the bag to the man,"Thank you."  
It wasn't heavy for her by any standards. She knew that, he knew that. Still, it was nothing less than delightful to be cared for in such a small yet meaningful manner. Y/n wondered whether the warlord had read up on human etiquette, if cybertronians had similar practices or if it was just something that he felt like doing. Whatever it was, the young woman made sure Megatron knew she appreciated the gesture when, after he offered her his arm, she leaned closer to him, brushing their shoulders together affectionately.  
"I take it I am forgiven for making you taste that whiskey together with me?" the warlord smirked as she made a disgusted grimace at his words.  
"You are. This time," she chuckled.

 

...

 

  
  
"..aying that the ancient lines of code are like human instincts?" Y/n asked, her eyes shining bright with curiosity as the couple walked down a path in the park, "That...makes a lot of sense, actually."  
Megatron nodded slightly.  
"Of course, as far as we know the first cybertronians were already intelligent enough not to rely on 'basic instincts' alone, but studies theorized that they were, indeed, somewhat naive."  
Y/n nodded and looked forward, at the small iced-over pond, her gaze thoughtful.  
"I can easily believe that. After all, your evolution started at a much different point than ours. Yet, we still share similar instincts...But I guess maybe all living beings do? The need to eat, rest and feel safe are basic enough to apply to everybody."  
"The 'Fight or flight' instinct can be added to that," the warlord nodded again as he mused, "There is no denying that humans do seem to have behavior patterns quite similar to cybertronian ones. Even beyond the basic programming."

  
The young woman looked back at the man, an inquisitive expression on her face.

  
"I know you said that you've never been particularly interested in finding these things out - and I understand, you have a war on your servos - but one has to wonder, those planets you've been to, with civilizations similar to yours or mine, those aliens you've met in your travels or cybertronian databases have info on, how close their inhabitants' behavior could be to ours? How close are the behavior of, say, Ilxians, both inherited and acquired, to ours? They're organic but about the same size as the average Cybertronian, so they may view smaller yet sentient lifeforms like humans similarly to how you view us _and I am rambling again, I'm sorry._ "  
Y/n chuckled as offered the man an apologetic smile. The warlord, however, seemed to be impressed above everything else.  
"Ilxians, you say," Megatron smirked, looking at her,"You have been studying."  
"There a whole universe out there," the girl smiled,"And Soundwave was nice enough to provide me with an encyclopedia on species of sorts."  
"I imagine it's eye-opening for you," the man said, looking at her with calm affection. Y/n let out a soft, breathy laugh.  
"Oh it is. It's also incredibly humbling, amazing, scary and fascinating. I just barely scratched the surface, managing to read about and take notes on a couple dozens of species, but it already makes me look at things from a different perspective."  
"That is not surprising," Megatron nodded, "And...notes?"  
"I remember things better that way," the girl shrugged lightly and smiled,"Besides, everything in the file is in Cybertronian and I take notes in my own language, it kind of makes me think more about how to phrase the words and, through that, the information has a longer time to be properly analyzed and, hopefully, stored inside my brain."  
"I see," the man nodded, the right corner of his lips quirking up,"It does make sense. So studious."  
"I'm actually incredibly lazy, you know that," Y/ grinned, aware that the Decepticon lord had a chance to witness how laid-back and absolutely useless she could be on some days, "And don't think I was this engaged in studies when I was in school or university. It's just that this is all so incredible, so world-changing, how couldn't I be captivated? I know that the human race isn't ready for this knowledge to be widespread, hell, I'd be put inside of an asylum if I made an attempt to talk to people about insectoid aliens or squid aliens or _mechanical aliens_ , but for me personally it's so amazing to have an opportunity to be less ignorant or the world."  
"I am not surprised," Megatron offered her a small yet genuine smile as his deep red eyes looked at her with a certain appreciative light that sent Y/n's heart aflutter, "It seems that you put considerable effort into not being ignorant. Isn't there a human saying, 'Ignorance is bliss'?"

  
The man smirked and so did she.

  
"Well, bliss is nice. Until you find yourself in a situation where things are happening and you have no idea how the world works and what to do."  
"Usually, I would recommend listening to the Decepticon leader who was gracious enough not to step on you," Megatron chuckled, no doubt remembering their first meeting.  
"Good strategy, yes," she agreed, also chuckling, "Any other advice?"  
"Keep him satisfied with your behavior," the man smirked and raised his brow slightly, looking devilishly charming, "Or rather, continue keeping him satisfied."  
"I will keep that in mind," Y/n smiled flirtatiously, looking at him from under her eyelashes, "Also, thank you."  
"Hm?" the warlord looked at her inquiringly and she gave him a knowing look.  
"I am perfectly aware that without your permission Soundwave wouldn't have given me any data. So thank you for letting me learn all of this, for not keeping me in the dark."

  
  
Megatron looked at her for a long moment, the sound of their steps being the only thing that lingered between them, before nodding.  
  
"Of course, Y/n. We may not have the amount of data on other planets and species that Cybertronians possessed before the Iaconian Hall of Records went dark, but you are welcome to learn from the databanks the Nemesis possesses. Be aware, however, that some parts or even whole chapters may be classified due to military operations or general Autobot or Decepticon involvement. If you come across something of the like, you can always ask me to tell you what you wish to know."  
"I wouldn't want to annoy you with too many questions, though," Y/n smiled warmly, touched by the warlord's proposal.  
"You will not," the man assured her, his steady, deep voice soothing like nothing else, "So do not be shy, Y/n."  
"Thank you," the young woman said lovingly, her e/c eyes looking into those captivating dark crimson ones. The Decepticon lord nodded.  
"Though," she chuckled, "I doubt I  will get to the 'historical encounter' parts anytime soon. I've still barely scratched the surface on the file of general information on the various species known to Cybertronians."  
"It is not a small subject to explore," Megatron pointed out.  
"True. Though, I would be interested to hear your thoughts about various species," the girl said with a smile.  
"I have not seen all of them, I am not _that_ old, remember?" the warlord chuckled quietly and Y/n leaned closer to him, brushing their shoulders together as she squeezed his arm a bit more tightly.  
"I know that," she chuckled too as she all but cooed, "You're not old, darling. I meant that you have traveled a lot and that you have already told me of some species you were able to meet....Like those fluffy screeching balls of fur that plagued your ship the other decade."  
The pleased expression that appeared on the man's face when she touched and spoke to him so affectionately immediately turned into an annoyed frown.  
"Do not remind me..." he grumbled and sighed, but then smirked once he saw her laugh at his reaction.  
  
  
  
  
Suddenly, even though Y/n was already comfortably in a state where she wasn't sensitive to the presence of people around her, she felt a human approach. This presence was different than the others, it had this familiar note to it that made it stand out from the others that the girl's mind had successfully managed to gray out. Looking forward, to the direction where she felt the human was, Y/n instinctively grasped Megatron's arm tighter. The man noticed her change of behavior and also looked ahead, no doubt ready to face whatever had caused her alarm.

  
  
"Y/n, honey! I didn't know you were in town already!" her grandmother crooned happily as she hurried towards them.

  
  
"Well, you said you were ready for this," the young woman whispered as she looked at her approaching grandmother with an all-too-sweet smile that clearly spelled out a 'So this is happening now' to an observant watcher.  
"I said I had combat experience," Megatron answered quietly and she could sense a note in his voice that showed that he was amused by her nervousness, "I think I can take the tiny frail woman."  
"I'm not sure, she's pretty hardcore," Y/n smirked and they both shared a momentary glance of amusement before the whirlwind of energy that was her granny was upon them.  
"Oh Y/n, so glad to see you, dear!"  
"Hi, gran," she smiled warmly and let go of her companion's arm to hug the older woman tightly. After that, her grandmother quickly switched her attention to Megatron, her eyes curious with a sly spark in them.  
"Hello there, I don't believe we have met, young man," a kind smile graced her lips.  
"We have not," the man nodded and, for Y/n, it was completely surreal. Sure, something like this was bound to happen and they both knew it, but the fact that her granny was standing face to face with an alien warlord was still something that required a second for her brain to process properly. As he towered over the older woman, Megatron continued:  
"Allow me to introduce myself. Maximillian Kaon."

  
  
It took an effort of gargantuan proportions not to laugh. Sure, they had thought of a more human name for the warlord (no surprise that he picked a well-known gladiator's name), but it still felt _so weird_ to hear him actually use the name seriously.

  
  
"Oh, so you're Y/n's boss!" her granny practically glowed once she heard the name,"I'm F/n L/n, Y/n's grandmother. I had a feeling it was you, Mr.Kaon, I've heard good things about you."  
"Have you now?" the man asked as he glanced at Y/n, his brow raised in amusement.  
"She has," the girl confirmed, not feeling any need to be ashamed of that fact. Megatron has, after all, treated her quite well almost since the very beginning.  
"I thought you were coming tomorrow, honey," her grandmother turned to her again, a knowing expression on her face,"So I take it you wanted today all to yourselves then?"  
"You got us, there's no hiding things from you," Y/n smiled and the older woman chuckled, pleased, "This man here brought me home earlier as a surprise."  
"Aaaw, now isn't that nice of him," her granny grinned and looked back at the warlord, his height so towering compared to hers that she had to throw her head back considerably,"Well then, I won't interrupt you any longer. But you simply must attend the Christmas dinner tomorrow!"

  
  
Oh.

  
  
Looking at Megatron, Y/n saw that his expression didn't change in the slightest, his dark red eyes looking at her grandmother calmly. Okay, so right now he'll say he has to return to work-  
  
"I accept," the man nodded and then smirked as if knowing that she was _this close_ to dropping her jaw on the ground.  
"Wonderful!" the woman chirped, clapping her hands together, "Oh wait 'till your parents hear that you'll be bringing home a guest! Do you have a place to stay?"  
"We have accommodations, yes," the warlord nodded while Y/n was still processing what was going on and why she felt like she was watching a sitcom about her own life.  
"Oh, good! Then we will see you tomorrow! Please don't bother with presents, your company is enough," the older woman winked, "Well then, I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your day! Oh, honey, did you tell him the hilarious story that happened in this very park? You should, hahah. So, anyway, I'm going, have a nice day! It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr.Kaon."  
"Maximillian, please. And likewise, Mrs.Ln," the man nodded, making her grandmother giggle like a schoolgirl.  
"Oh F/n is fine! Okay, honey, bye, text me or your mom when you'll be coming over."  
"Sure, gran," the girl managed a smile and watched her granny depart, at a quick pace as ever. Silence lingered for a couple of moments.

  
  
"She is...lively," she heard Megatron smirk.  
"I have two of those. You just signed yourself up to spending an evening with them," the young woman looked at him, raising a brow, still not fully believing the situation, "What in the world was your motivation?"  
The warlord seemed amused by her confused state and when he just shrugged she couldn't help but give him a honest-to-god pout, because she really wanted to know _Why_. The man raised a brow.  
"Are you against this outcome?"  
"No, I just, well...It's unexpected. You aren't fond of humans or humans gathering around you, and here you are agreeing to just that," Y/n reasoned, "You are not one to willingly subject yourself to things you don't like, so why?"  
Megatron cocked his head to the side slightly, looking over her with steady red eyes.  
"I don't quite know myself. Let us consider it the wish to experience something new," he mused, "And observe you interact with those who raised you to be what you are today."  
Y/n took a deep breath, accepting the explanation. Maybe it was just that simple. After all, Megatron was a curious mech, maybe today just put him in a mood to explore something new. Hell, she couldn't complain if she got to spend Christmas with both her family and her beloved lord.  
"Y/n," she heard the warlord's deep, quiet voice and looked up to face him, noticing how much more serious his expression had become, "Is there a reason you would not trust me to be around your family?"  
"What?" she blinked in surprise, a feeling of guilt immediately washing over her for making him think that way, "No, _no._ In fact, I was just thinking about how nice it would be to spend tomorrow with both you and my family."  
The man gave her a long look, but his expression immediately softened as he no doubt heard the honesty of her words in her voice.  
"Then it is settled," he nodded, offering her his arm once again, an invitation that she immediately accepted, beginning to walk beside the man, "By the way. What was that story your grandmother mentioned?"  
"That lake we passed - I fell into it one winter when I was 4 years old," the young woman answered calmly.  
"Well that doesn't sound like a story a loving relative would find hilarious," Megatron smirked.  
"Oh no, it was no doubt terrifying for my gran back then," Y/n smirked too, "But now it's just funny because I survived."  
"How did you end up on the lake anyway?" the man inquired, "One had to be able to notice that the ice was thin."  
"I was four and I wanted to feed ducks," the girl stated flatly, looking at the warlord like it was the most normal thing in the world.  
"So, in other words, you were stupid."  
"I was _four._ Four-year-olds are stupid."  
The man chuckled and so did she.

  
  
  
  
*******  


 

  
  
"Yes, but I have no doubt that if an Ilxian ever visited Earth, ancient civilizations would have worshiped one as a god similar to how they did with Cybertronians. Actually, I'm fairly sure now that Ilxians were in some way responsible for the mythos of Cthulhu," Y/n said as she sat on the floor and tied a pretty little bow on a present.

  
  
Sure, her grandmother said 'no presents', but Megatron was not naive in the slightest. He knew enough about Christmas by now. The picking and choosing of presents weren't as much of a problem as convincing the warlord to let her pay. After all, he did not possess any Earth money. But he was proud, very much so. After a bit of debating, she managed to convince him by pointing out that it wasn't really her money too - Knockout had earned it and just gave it to her. And Knockout served Megatron. That alone didn't convince the stubborn mech, however, so Y/n had to add on that Megatron may repay her in a manner of his own choosing if he wished.

  
  
"Cthulhu?" the mech on her couch asked and there was a moment of silence as he no doubt searched the internet about the creature, "That does look...somewhat similar."  
"Well if an Ilxian _did_ happen to visit Earth, that was no doubt some considerable time ago, so I guess human imagination and superstition could have 'helped' with modifying the image," she mused, "Deep, dark eyes and tentacly heads? The same size as Cybertronians? H. P. Lovecraft had to get his inspiration from _somewhere_...Or, who knows, maybe it was really all in his imagination and this is all just a big coincidence."  
"Who knows," the warlord agreed as he watched her calmly, "I imagine you have already taken a look at the description of your own species in the file?"  
"Wildly outdated," Y/n smirked as her fingers folded the wrapping paper around another present, "But interesting nonetheless. Human anthropologists would probably kill for such insight, if they knew about it's existence."  
"So you read that the Cybertronians tried to teach your kind about The Thirteen?" the steel-colored mech asked, intrigued.  
"I did," the girl nodded, her eyes looking over ribbons as she tried to pick out the one that would look best with the wrapping paper, "It's actually interesting how they were successful, and then as they left the religion died down and, as far as I know my history lessons, was reborn again in ancient Greece."  
"It was?..." Megatron asked and Y/n smiled as she threw a glance at him. It was nice to know that the mech didn't know something she did, if only until he bothered to look it up.  
"Well, I'm not sure, but what I've read about how the Cybertronians adapted The Thirteen for humans was wildly similar to the Greek god pantheon. If you want, you could check that out yourself and tell me your thoughts, you know the legends of The Thirteen better than could ever hope to."  
The warlord nodded and they both were silent for a time, only the quiet sound of rustling paper lingering in the air. It was peaceful, Y/n though, so very peaceful and nice. The smell of the Christmas tree and freshly-brewed tea, the wrapping of presents, the presence of the one she loved - it all made her feel happy to be alive.

  
  
"I believe you are right on this," the mech said, his voice clearly amused, "Hmm...So Vector Prime, in human interpretation, it this 'Hermes' god, one of trade, travelers, sports, athletes, border crossings...Interesting. You humans certainly know how to simplify things."  
"We made do with what we found, I guess," Y/n shrugged and chuckled, "And after all, weren't those _your_ people who presented the simplified version to my ancestors? So that's on you."  
"Excuse my race for not explaining intergalactic travel to your animal-skin wearing, spear-wielding people," Megatron smirked, raising an optic ridge as she looked at him.  
"How could you, we _obviously_ could have handled it," the girl smiled and as they both chuckled, she returned to the presents, being almost finished now. Megatron continued his musings:  
"So Prima was this Zeus, the sky and thunder god, leader of the gods...I guess that is accurate enough. Onyx Prime as Artemis is rather...huh."  
"Hm?" Y/n asked as the warlord hummed thoughtfully.  
"Nothing, I just thought of how, if one would add some things to your wings, you would bear the smallest similarity to Onyx Prime, as much as he is usually depicted."  
"Really?" the girl turned to the mech, beyond interested,"Do you have an image available in the database?"  
"There are statues of The Thirteen on Cybertron, I imagine there are photos of those," Megatron nodded and she was in her room in an instant, the pieces of wrapping paper taking flight with the rush of air that her quick movement caused. She walked out of the room as the paper gently floated down on the floor, a tablet in her hands.  
"How much data can that little thing even hold?" Megatron smirked as she sat on the couch next to him.  
"Not nearly enough, and that's with Soundwave's upgrades," she chuckled quietly, "But the basic stuff had fit, thankfully. Okay...so Onyx Prime, you say...Got it. Wow, he looks so amazing!"

  
The girl looked over the images of the winged alien deity, both photos of his statue and the depictions Cybertronian artists had come up with. This Prime was considered to be the "Lord of Beasts", and was said to be in tune with both the creatures of the natural world and the intangible realm of the spirit. He was commonly depicted with having dark-grey or black armor with highlights of gold. His helm was reminiscent of some predatory bird or dragon and his face was noble and proud, gold optics shining with wisdom and power. His wings consisted of multiple layers or metal, Y/n counted at least three rows of metal 'feathers' of different sizes and forms - they looked insanely powerful yet still majestic, very much fitting to the Cybertronian's overall image.

  
"My wings are not nearly as breathtaking, but I can see where you got the idea. Usually, Cybertronian wings look very different than this..." the girl mused, nodding to the tablet as she looked up at the mech and locked eyes with him. There was something deep and heavy in his gaze, something that made Y/n's heartbeat quicken. Had he...For how long had he been watching her like that?  
The warlord's arm went around her waist and he all but effortlessly lifted her onto his lap, and she happily leaned closer to his chassis once she was there. His optics fell to her lips, then looked back into her eyes, burning crimson meeting e/c. Instinctively, her hands found their way to his chassis, fingers tracing the layers and seams of the steel-colored armor, earning her a low purring sound from the mech. His gaze once again fell to her lips and a moment later she was already held in an embrace that was nothing less than possessive as metal lips crashed onto her own in a heated, hungry kiss.  
Returning the kiss with no less passion, she let her arms slip around the mech's neck and leaned into him as much she could, deepening the kiss. The deep growl that she heard from Megatron made her heart beat at an even more rapid pace and her thoughts scatter, save for one.

  
  
She loved him. She wanted more of him.  
  
More of the touches those huge, dangerous servos gave her, more of the nibbles those sharp dentas would tease her lips with, more of the sounds that rumbled in that wide steel-colored chassis. _More._

  
  
The warlord seemed to be of the same mindset because his kisses were so intense that it barely gave them time to catch a quick breath - for her to get some oxygen and for him to cool down - before his lips were on hers again, the young woman answering with an ardor equal to his.  
Somehow, she wasn't sure when or how, she ended up standing between the mech's legs, the Decepticon lord's head only slightly lower than hers despite her now being on her feet. The girl was sure that, if not for the powerful servos around her waist, her knees wouldn't be able to hold her, so much Megatron's kisses affected her.  
As she pulled away to catch a much-needed breath, she looked into the warlord's optics, the burning heat in them making the flame in her soul turn into a wildfire. As his servos traveled lower, to her hips, he looked at her closely and she returned the intense gaze while her hands found their way under his helm and caressed his face affectionately.  
Crimson optics watched her intently and no words were exchanged as the mech turned his head and pressed his lips to her palm. No words, but a quiet gasp did manage to escape Y/n as she felt like electricity had traveled all the way from her palm up her arm and into to her heart, finding corners of her soul that she wasn't aware were even there. The small sound seemed to break something in the warlord because the next moment the young woman found herself being kissed hungrily yet again while being lifted off the floor simultaneously. Putting her hands on the mech's shoulders to steady herself, she was so overfilled with love, adrenalin and burning, searing heat that her attention was kept purely on the sound of her heart beating furiously and on the sounds that Megatron was making. The absolutely delicious quiet growls and breaths that made heat burn in her chest and travel down to pool in her lower stomach. The way Megatron made her feel was both liberating and torturous, both divine and close to bringing her to insanity, making her heart soar and her head spin and-

  
  
She gasped softly as she felt a pillow against the back of her head and when she opened her eyes, breathing heavily, she could see nothing but the crimson optics of the mech who hovered over her. His gaze fell to her lips, then to her neck, then lower, to her quickly rising and falling chest. As his optics returned to her face, she could feel a deep rumble reverberating in his chassis, making her subconsciously let out a breathy sigh, the sound making the Decepticon lord's optics flash with need.

**//////**

  
He was on her immediately, kissing and touching her almost desperately, and it was a seemingly unending cycle of each of their reactions spurring on new ones as both of them wanted to give as much as they wanted to take. Megatron's kisses traveled lower, to her neck and it wasn't the first time his lips touched the skin of her neck but it was so very different this time, it made her breath hitch and her eyes close, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she touched the lord lovingly everywhere she could reach, making sure to get her long, thin fingers between armor plates, to more sensitive layers of metal. A quiet sound of approval, somewhere between a pleased hum and a moan left the mech as he pressed his hot metal lips to her neck and she bit her lip, feeling how that sound made the warm, tugging feeling in her lower abdomen increase tenfold and take the forefront of her mind, second only to a persistent, ever-present thought that motivated her every motion right now.

  
  
She loved him. She wanted more of him. More.

  
  
"Ah!" she gasped softly and couldn't - didn't want to - hold back a quiet moan when sharp dentas bit onto the sensitive skin of the nook of her neck. Not enough to draw blood but enough to make her body tense momentarily and for shivers to run up her spine and limbs. The long, savoring lick that followed made her throw her head back and turn it, allowing the mech access to more of her neck as she breathed out audibly. Megatron's weight on her was almost crushing, she had no doubts that he had lowered the holomatter avatar's weight not to injure her, but it still was enough to remind her that the being above her was someone insanely powerful, large and made of metal. It was enough weight to keep her pressed into the bed, completely at the mercy of the mech above her. Or almost completely, because she knew the warlord's frame well enough by now. She knew how his armor fitted together, where the seams were and where there were places between the plates that made him-  
" _Mmh,_ " Megatron let out a breathy sigh as her affectionate assault on his chassis and sides proved successful. Secretly proud of herself, she took the opportunity while the mech was distracted and, taking his helm into her hands, gently urged him to look back into her eyes.  
  
  
_I love you. I want more of you._ The thought was so strong that it burned and Y/n was sure that Megatron saw it in her eyes, because his optics looked at her with no less affection, no less barely contained lust.  
"I should change into a more suitable form," he said huskily and she kissed him fiercely before whispering into his audial, her voice heavy with need:  
"Don't. I want to see you, I want _you,_ " she kissed the side of his helm and there was a low growling sound before she was pressed into the bed again, with hot, demanding kisses stealing her breath and making her head spin.

  
  
There was nothing slow or steady about this. It was a long time coming and neither of them was nearly patient enough to draw things out for too long. Still, as Y/n felt and heard the mech tear her clothes off her, she thought that none of the times she imagined herself being with him compared to _this,_ to the raw, genuine need they had for one another right now. She felt heat rise inside her body as she felt the warlord's armor plating flare, allowing her easier access to the spaces between the plates and to the seams of the lower-layer metal. His cooling fans activated, trying to keep his body from overheating and he stopped for just a moment. She took the opportunity and moved, beginning to kiss, lick and suck at the metal of his neck while simultaneously moving her hands along his chassis, fingers dipping into the exposed spaces between armor plates, drawing quiet sounds of pleasure and approval from the lord. When she felt the last of her garments being torn off and air brushing against her naked body, Megatron leaned back slightly, only far enough to look at her. His gaze traveled down from her face to her neck, to her chest and lower, down her stomach, making her breathe deeper and blush under his intense gaze. She had to admit - part of her body, part of the instincts that she had were screaming at her that this was danger, that she was exposed and vulnerable, but the other primal part of her was urging her on, towards this dangerous metal being, all edges and armor and unimaginable power. She looked him over, taking in the sight of the mech before her, feeling the air that his cooling fans vented out against her sides.  
"You are so very beautiful, my Y/n," the warlord's deep voice made her look back at his optics as she felt the wetness that was between her legs increase, her very core pulsing in need of him, in the need to be one with him. In a moment of sudden quiet gentleness, his digits carefully traced a line from her side to her hip and she lovingly caressed the mech's cheek, him leaning into the touch with a quiet hum. It was only a moment, however, because soon they were upon each other again, greedily exploring and dragging fingers and digits along metal and skin in an attempt to know, to remember and to claim everything they came across.  
She softly gasped when the warlord's servo cupped her right breast and she heard him quietly cycle a breath also.  
"So soft..." he murmured and his voice was so heavy with lust that she wouldn't be able to tell if the underlying tone was surprise or appreciation. A second later, however, she lost all ability to think because the warlord lowered his head, giving her already hard nipple an experimental lap.  
"A-aah, Megatron..." she sighed breathily, slipping into a moan at the end. She felt him smile against the sensitive skin of her breast before he took her nipple into his mouth, making her take a shallow breath before making a sound that was somewhere between a quiet needy whine and a moan. She was so high on adrenaline and lust right now, her whole body was so overly sensitive that even the air that the mech's cooling fans pushed out and onto her hips was making her even more aroused. Judging by the warlord's body language, he wasn't faring any better. As his servo cupped her other breast and she threw her head back, breathing heavily, she raised her leg, naked skin brushing against metal as she dragged her leg up against his inner tight and lightly pushed it against his pelvic armor.

  
  
The growl she heard was almost enough to make her come then and there.

  
  
It was a mess of both hands and servos trying to grab and stroke and tease as much of the other's body as possible, to wring out as much sounds and reactions as possible in the least amount of time. She felt the warlord's breath on her neck and on her collarbone, and as her leg dragged along his pelvic armor once more she heard the softest _click_ and felt something long, heavy and hot against her leg before both of them let out a moan, because that was also the moment when Megatron's digits had brushed against her dripping core.  
"So wet for me," the mech growled approvingly into her neck, giving the sensitive skin a brief nibble before gasping and letting out a moan when she dragged her leg against his throbbing spike while her fingers were teasing the sensitive metal between armor plates. The warlord claimed her lips in an almost bruising kiss and nothing else in the world existed except for him and the torturous need in her. Adrenaline still rushed through her blood and her instincts were screaming at her to either run away or _do something,_ because if she wasn't going to have Megatron inside of her soon she was sure she was going to cry. Fortunately, the mech didn't seem like he could wait any longer also, and when she felt her legs being parted and held by large powerful servos, her heart started beating so fast that she couldn't hear anything else for a moment. There was so much adrenaline in her blood that she was now sure she was high on it and when she looked down she felt both fear and lust wash over her. No way would that fit- Oh but she wanted it. She wanted Megatron deep inside of her, no matter what.  
She looked up at the crimson optics, seeing that there was one last bastion of restraint there in them.  
"Y/n," the mech said, hot air hitting the skin of her breasts as he exvented breathily, "This is going to hurt. Are you sure?"  
"Yes. It won't. I'll heal. It doesn't matter, just... _Megatron,_ " she called out to him in half a soothing invitation and half a needy plea.  
That was all the mech needed to cast aside whatever restraints he had, and as Y/n felt the tip of his spike touch her soaked pussy, she felt her mind simultaneously freak out and celebrate. By this point there was so much adrenaline in her system that it almost felt like an out of body experience. She could feel Megatron's spike stretch her open, fill her to and beyond fullness but it was somehow the emotional part of the act that made her gasp and moan, and repeat the mech's name over and over like a prayer. Clawing at his chassis, she urged him to lean back down onto her, seeking both _something_ to hold on to and explicitly _him_ to hold, to feel the metal under her hands and feel the raspy breath in her ear as the enormous spike continued filling her like it had no end.

  
The moment he was completely sheathed inside her, they both gasped and there was almost a sacred moment of silence as they just listened to each other's breaths, as she listened to his cooling fans working, the air from them being a rather soothing feeling on her lower abdomen. She was sure she had tears streaming down her face even though her body mostly felt like one big tingling bunch of adrenaline-drunk nerves rather than hurting, and she made sure to wipe the tears off as she brought her arms around the mech's neck for those couple of moments where he allowed her to get accustomed to his size. And heal.  
She heard him breathing into her neck, hot air hitting damp skin and suddenly she realized that she could feel her body somewhat properly again. With it came the pulsing pain in her lower regions but it was slowly but surely fading away, thanks to her healing abilities no doubt. Megatron's spike felt indescribable, neither metal or plastic despite definitely being _some_ sort of metal, and it was hot, it was throbbing inside her and feeling it inside of herself made her more aroused that she had been in her entire life. As she caressed the warlord's helm, neck and shoulders, she quietly allowed him to start moving.  
"Are you sure?" he asked, but the telltale jerk of his hips spoke of his state way more honestly. She nodded and slowly, experimentally, rolled her hips making them both shudder and moan. It wasn't long after that that Megatron pulled out almost half-way before slamming into her and that made her moan loudly and scratch at his armor. Many more moans followed, both hers and his, and in the back of her mind the girl just couldn't help but appreciate how incredibly attractive her lover's voice sounded. The thought was thrown out of her head as were all others when the warlord quickened his pace, reducing her to a gasping, moaning mess. Megatron had complete control now and Y/n was all too happy to be at his mercy.  
  
As the mech let go of one of her legs, she put it on his hip - the armor plates on it were smooth enough not to scratch her leg. The side part of his pelvic armor, however, was poking at her tight at times. Just until she had the idea to shift her hips higher, effectively putting her leg onto that part and not to the side of it. And _oh_ , the angle change was fortunate too, she noticed as Megatron's member hit just the right spot inside of her to make her back arch.  
"Megatron, ah.." she moaned and gasped, knowing exactly how much the warlord liked it when she called him by name. A particularly strong thrust was the mech's first, probably involuntary, reaction, after that he leaned closer to her to capture her lips with his as he continued to pound into her at a merciless pace, making the tension in her lower abdome build up that much faster.

  
This was a long time coming and neither of them could hold out for long, not with the sensations being this alien yet undeniably, mind-crushingly good, not with all the pent up emotions that this first time between them carried in it. Their bodies quickly approaching their peaks, their movements becoming more and more needy, both the Decepticon lord and the young woman were completely in the thrall of their passion.  
  
She held on onto him and needily, desperately matched his pace as he moved faster, his hips hitting hers with a force that would have left severe bruises on a normal human. But she was no normal human. And she wanted everything he could give her, she wanted all of him. And that was what she said, what she gasped out between breaths and moans and calling out his name in pleasure.  
"My Y/n.... _mine,_ " the mech growled breathily and she felt the knot in her lower abdomen tighten impossibly, the walls of her pussy clamping around the warlord's spike as her breaths got shorter with her orgasm moments away.  
"Ah, Megatron, ah...Ah!" Y/n took a shallow breath and leaned up slighly before a shudder made her breath hitch and her orgasm hit her hard, making her arch her back, pressing into the mech above her as her body spasmed with waves of overwhelming pleasure hitting her, making her see white. Megatron made two more powerful thrusts, only adding to the intensity of her own completion, before she felt him gasp and a shiver run across his chassis, a close-mouthed moan pressed into the skin of her neck as hot transfluid spilled into her. She moaned ever so quietly at the sensation and, with the last of her strenght, gently caressed the back of the mech's helm with her trembling, weak hand as they lay there in complete bliss, breathing heavily, eyes closed and minds foggy.

  
  
...  


**//////**

  
Later, as Y/n lay curled up beside her lover, his arm around her and his digits tracing invisible patterns on her bare hip, she felt so incredibly content that she didn't know there even was such a state before now.  
"You can go to sleep if you wish," Megatron reminded quietly, his voice calm and with a soft, warm note to it that sent her heart aflutter. It was not only the warlord's affection for her that made her happy, it was also the fact that he himself was so relaxed and similarly content. She shook her head, in the process nuzzling into the mech's chassis. He chuckled and there was a certain calm mirth in that sound that made Y/n want to both laugh and cry from happiness. But then again, she was very much emotionally sensitive right now, after something as intense as this - both emotionally and physically.  
"...Megatron?"  
"Yes?"  
Raising her head, she leaned up to kiss the warlord lovingly, her bare chest pressing against his warm chassis. She felt sharp digits lightly scrape up and down her back before the mech's whole servo settled between her shoulder blades, keeping her close as he proceeded to drag her into a prolonged kissing session.  
  
  



	36. The calm before...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick chapter describing how Y/n and Megatron spend time before the dinner party. (Spoiler: Fluff everywhere)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? What's this?  
> There's chapters everyhere!  
> What's this?  
> As far as I'm aware  
> I've been a naughty author  
> Sorry, please forgive me, let me just-  
> WHAT'S THIS?!
> 
> ....Yeah, so, em. Sorry for not posting for a while. I hope three new chapters will make it a bit easier to forgive the wayward author;)  
> Chapters 38 and 39 will be up at the same time, and Chapter 40 will be posted soon after!
> 
> Also, Megatron's POV for this and the next chapter, woo~

 

"Oh don't say that," the human resting on his chassis laughed quietly and he smirked as his digit stroked her side.

"I will say what I please, and I assure you that your friends in the medbay are idiots," Megatron said and raised an optic ridge as Y/n rolled her eyes playfully.

 

 

He remembered how those same eyes looked at him, gaze foggy and veiled by lust and pleasure, just several cycles ago - just yesterday evening. The memory made a pleased smile tug at the corners of his lip plates and embers of possessiveness glow in his spark.

 

 

"Well he's still your medic and he seems to be good at what he does," the young woman pointed out, seemingly noticing the look in his optic and giving him a coquettish, sly look adorned by a smile.

"He seems to be better with inventing devices and upgrades...and even those vary in success percentages," the mech pointed out and the girl looked to the side thoughtfully before turning onto her back. Arching her back and throwing her head back, she looked at him playfully from upside down.

"I will not argue with you on that one. You do not want to know how many bugs had to be fixed with my wings," she chuckled.

"You are smart not to. And I do. Consider telling me," Megatron said, raising an optic ridge when his lover shook her head slowly.

"Nope. You already think Knockout and Breakdown are idiots, telling you that stuff will only get you mad. And I still need friends on this ship."

 

 

There wasn't a being on the Nemesis who could deny Megatron information he wanted to know and live to tell about it. Not until now.

But this was his lover. And the things she kept for herself were harmless anyway. By Unicron, with the things _he_ kept from her, Megatron should be alright with anything she decided to keep from him...Also, he had Soundwave. If he really ever wanted to know, it wouldn't pose any difficulty to get the information. He just didn't want to. He came to have more respect toward his confidant by now.

 

 

A small sound reached his audials and his attention returned to his human. Y/n was looking at him thoughtfully, having turned back onto her stomach.

 

"You're thinking about asking Soundwave, aren't you?"

 

Was...when had he become so easy to read? He was fairly sure that this happened only with Y/n, but it still caught him off-guard sometimes. Then again, he had grown accustomed to letting his guard down around her. It was...an unfamiliar thing to do. And, somehow, both thrilling and calming at the same time.

 

 

The Decepticon lord nodded.

"I was. But it was not a serious consideration."

The girl sighed quietly but seemed to believe him, understanding flashing in her e/c eyes before it was replaced by pleasure - he had ever so lightly dragged the tip of his digit down her back.

"Do not worry, I will leave your secrets for you to keep," he assured.

"It's not a secret," the young woman protested while she looked at him with half-lidded eyes, his digit coming up her back in a careful motion, catching the material of her shirt and dragging it slightly up.

"No?" Megatron inquired, catching a glance of exposed skin where the shirt was lifted.

"No," Y/n smiled, "It's just that training sessions were messy and with very few dignity left on my part by the end of them, so I'd rather you not see me like that."

"Also, you are worried for the doctor and his assistant."

"That too, definitely. It's enough that their lord thinks that they are idiots - _which they are not_ \- so I wouldn't want to make it worse."

 

They shared a look. Then, a smirk.

Primus, he was so glad he decided to come over and pick Y/n up last night. There was something irreplaceable in sharing his first waking cycle with her. And even more so today, after he got to hold her and know her as fully as this night. Memories of the night still haunted both his processor and his spark in the most torturously delicious way and he would be lying to himself if he said that he was not waiting for an opportunity to get his servos on Y/n's bare body again. Right now, however, his hunger was satisfied enough for him to keep it at bay.

 

 

...But maybe just a brief touch of that enticing bare skin.

 

 

The young woman gave him the most sparkwarming smile when the metal of his digit touched the bared skin of her back. Slowly, he dragged the digit up and down with a lazy, satisfied smile appearing on his own lip plates without him noticing. He couldn't feel her skin properly, not like when he could put his entire servo on her comfortably, but the sensation was there - enough to remind him how it felt like, enough for him to feel how soft and warm his lover was.

Everything he was not - she was. Soft, warm, kind and understanding. And, somehow, she was also so very like him - proud, quick-witted, passionate in a dispute and strict in judgments. Above all, she was observant, insightful - much like he was. The same way it made him a deadly foe, it made her an exceptional companion. The same way it saved her life multiple times already, it also helped him notice things he wouldn't necessarily think about out of lack of experience of having an emotionally intimate relationship.

 

 

 _An emotionally intimate relationship._ The quintessence of weakness if there ever was one.

After two horribly-gone friendships that left him with nothing but a clear realization that genuine bonds were a glaring weakness, Megatron ought to know better. And he did know better - for vorns and vorns he did. Even more so, he was sure did not have any time or desire for something as pathetic, as strategically illogical and both time- and energy-consuming as that. He had a trusted ally in Soundwave, that was enough. So he had thought.

 

 

 

And now...here he was.

 

 

The human on his chassis was enjoying his touches, her arms crossed in front of her with her head resting on them, her eyes closed and a gentle smile playing on her lips. Her h/c hair framed her peaceful face beautifully, strands of it falling onto her back, shoulders and onto his chassis.

In this quiet moment, Megatron knew in his spark that he did not give a frag anymore until he could have this for as long as possible.

 

 

"It has been a while, has it not?" he asked quietly, meaning the time that passed since their last morning together, and Y/n nodded, opening her eyes slightly to look at him in a way that made his spark skip a beat.

He would kill, he would annihilate anybody who would stand in his way to have this.

"It has," she agreed quietly, looking into his optics lovingly, "I missed this."

The warlord nodded in agreement slowly, finally managing to take his servo off the girl's bare skin. Instead, he carefully touched the side of her face - a light caress while he looked at her thoughtfully.

 

 

Then, she turned her head and quietly placed a soft kiss to his digit.

 

 

It didn't feel like anything - _it shouldn't have_ \- but it his digit flinched and his spark throbbed and, for an astrosecond, he remembered some of what he did with this servo of his. The wounds inflicted, the parts ripped out, the sparks extinguished. For this brief, almost non-existent moment, there was a jumble of thoughts in his processor - even more than that, a struggle between himself and something old, something long-forgotten, something he had cast aside a lifetime ago.

 

Then it was all gone, replaced by the overwhelming warmth that this simple, endearing act caused to spread through his spark. He smiled fondly at his lover when she looked back at him.

 

 

*******

 

 

It was almost time for him and Y/n to depart for the young woman’s hometown to attend this ‘Christmas Eve dinner’ and Megatron appeared on the front porch of his lover’s cabin, the feeling of using a holomatter avatar now familiar and not even requiring to get used to by this point. Placing a servo on the door handle, the mech walked into the small house, looking over the room for Y/n.

 

He noticed the girl immediately, and his optics looked over her with both adoration and igniting desire. His lover stood in front of a mirror, the burgundy dress she wore leaving  part of her back exposed for his viewing pleasure.

 

“Oh, hi,” the warlord heard her say and, as she was fixing her hair up with a golden hair clip, he was left with an enticing view of her neck.

“Good evening,” he replied as he walked up to Y/n and stood behind her, the mirror showing just how much he towered over the young woman. Wordlessly, the Decepticon lord leaned down and placed a kiss to the spot between the girl’s neck and shoulder, all the while watching her face through the mirror, the gaze of crimson optics no doubt betraying how alluring she was to him. Y/n smiled and closed her eyes, a soft appreciative hum leaving her as she leaned back into the mech. The hair pin forgotten, the young woman let her hair fall over the shoulder that the warlord wasn’t currently busy with and caressed his helm lovingly.

 

“You look stunning,” Megatron stated as a clawed servo lightly traced between his lover’s shoulderblades, the way her back slightly arched affecting him more than he would be comfortable admitting. Opening her eyes, Y/n caught his gaze through the mirror, e/c meeting burning red.

“Well thank you. It’s flattering to hear that from such a handsome mech,” she cooed, turning her head and looking at him outright. Not a moment later, the warlord’s lipplates were on her lips and servos huge enough to easily go all the way around her waist did just that, the sharp digits applying the slightest pressure, just enough to draw the most delicious little gasp from his lover. And as Y/n gasped, the mech took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, the way the young woman turned around and placed her arms around his neck only urging him to go further.

 

Making a sound that was somewhere between a purr and a growl, the Decepticon lifted the girl up in one swift motion and carried her off to the bedroom.

 

 

…

 

 

The chuckle that Y/n made as she was putting her dress back on was nothing less than delightful, and it made the mech smile a lazy satisfied smile as he watched her from the other side of the bed.

 

“We are _so_ going to be late,” the young woman said, getting her hands through the sleeves of the dress quickly, “I blame you.”

“Well then I blame _you,”_ the warlord raised an optic ridge in amusement. Y/n gave him a look that was probably meant to be stern, but the satisfied smile on her lips made it jokingly-chiding at worst.

“At least you have it easy, you can just – poof!- and look perfectly ready. And I’m the one who’s stuck re-doing her hair,” the girl chuckled and rolled her eyes, stepping into her heels - the first few wobbly steps she took not escaping the warlord's gaze, making him feel incredibly smug - and zipping up her dress.

“I genuinely think messy hair is a suiting hairstyle for you,” the mech smirked. Y/n made a face that just oozed skepticism before also smirking and disappearing into the living room. She then walked back, a thoughtful expression on her face as she looked over him. Megatron regarded her with mild curiosity, a wordless inquiry in his optics.

“What? You’re not the only one who’s allowed to just stare whenever you like,” Y/n flashed him a grin and shrugged.

“You are certainly allowed to look at me, Y/n,” the warlord calmly agreed before a predatory half-smile appeared on his face, “If you are willing to risk us being late for sure, that is. Because I may just interpret that look of yours as an invitation for another round.”

 

 

With a giggle and the sound of heels quickly hitting the wooden floor, Y/n was gone from the room once more, leaving the warlord to enjoy his pleasant mood and a moment of quiet before they were to attend the human festivities.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so next chapter we will finally visit Y/n's family. Soo...this chapter was ~2000 words. The next one is 12.000 XD  
> Have fun~


	37. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron meets Y/n's family and spends some time with them. It goes differently than the alien warlord expected.

 

 

“You look somewhat pale,” the warlord noted as he raised his brow in amusement.

 

He was sure that his lover wasn’t fearing for her family – she had no reason to – but she did seem somewhat nervous. Y/n chuckled and shrugged with one shoulder, after that looking at the door in front of them. Sounds of people talking and laughing could be heard from behind it, as well as music playing – everyone inside seemed to be having an enjoyable time. Megatron was actually curious to look inside to see what this human festivity had to offer. Maybe if those were just some random humans he wouldn’t be as interested, but this – this was Y/n’s family, the ones she claimed to have the closest relationships with. So, he wanted to find out more.

“You ready for this?” the girl asked, raising her hand to push the doorbell. When Megatron nodded, she pushed the somewhat time-worn button and stood back a little when they heard the sound of doorbell going off on the other side.

 

 

Not five seconds later, the door swung open.

 

 

A man stood in the doorway, his gaze regarding both Y/n and Megatron with curiosity. By what photos Y/n had shown him, the Decepticon lord knew that this was her father.

“Hey, dad,” Y/n said, smiling.

“Good evening,” Megatron nodded in greeting.

“Y/n,” Mr.L/n smiled back at his daughter, then looked over Megatron as he offered him a hand, “Maximillian, I presume. Call me F/n.”

“It is nice to finally meet you, F/n,” Megatron readily shook the man’s hand, noting the strong grip he had and the way he looked the warlord in the eye with the calm curiosity that Megatron was used to seeing in Y/n herself. Funny, the Decepticon thought momentarily, if only this man knew who he was actually greeting right now.

“Likewise,” Y/n's father smiled in a way that it almost could be called a smirk, and stood to the side, “Come in, I think we have space for two more.”

“You _think?_ ” the girl raised a brow with a sly smile, and her father mirrored it.

“I _think_. If not, we could always relocate you. Roof or back yard?”

“Hardy har,” Y/n chuckled, turning to look at Megatron and jokingly roll her eyes as they walked into the foyer, the sounds of people talking and music playing now louder, obviously coming from the room that was behind the wall to the left,“As you can tell, dad here is an exceptional host.”

 

The Decepticon leader just smirked, amused by the banter between father and daughter that flowed so naturally that it was as if Y/n lived in this house instead of on the Nemesis for all this time. As the young woman unbuttoned her coat, he placed his hands onto her shoulders and carefully removed it, all the while looking over the house. It was warm here, and the décor was…well, Megatron had no experience in human home decoration outside of Y/n cabin, but it was welcoming and even somehow – faintly – familiar. He wondered that maybe Y/n added some touches to the cabin to make it resemble this place.

As he hung Y/n’s coat as well as his own and wondered how much easier it would be if humans were advanced enough that he could just let the holomatter piece of clothing disappear, he let his eyes rest on Y/n, admiring her quietly as she quipped and joked with her father. The burgundy dress suited her wonderfully, the deep noble color serving to only further accentuate his lover’s beauty. From where he was standing he got to see the part of her back the dress revealed, letting him appreciate her beautiful s/c skin and her delicate neckline, her h/c hair having been kept up by a gold hair clip. Despite being in completely new territory, a sense of calm warmth settled in his spark, and as the smell of all kinds of foods reached his nose the man decided not to stare at Y/n for too long – he would have time for that later- instead opting to look around some more. He felt better when he knew his surroundings.

The foyer was long, and if Megatron remembered Y/n’s stories correctly then the door on the other end of it lead to the back yard. A dog lived there, that he knew. Oh how Y/n loved telling him stories about that dog. While he was here, the warlord mused, he might as well take a look at the animal. Then again, he highly doubted that Y/n would pass up the opportunity to show him her pet. Wooden stairs led to the second floor, and if he remembered correctly only Y/n’s parents’ bedroom and a storage room could be found there. To the left of the foyer were two doors, the first door obviously leading to the big room humans called ‘the living room’(Which was strange, weren’t they technically living in the whole house?) and the second door leading to the bathroom as was stated by a small wooden board that was hung on the door(Was that a thoughtful gesture for guests or was it meant for décor? He should maybe ask Y/n later). To the right of the foyer were two doors, the closest one to him being the entrance to the kitchen judging that the smells of food came from behind it. So that meant that the last remaining room on the first floor lead to Y/n’s childhood room…Megatron wondered if he would get the chance to see it today.

 

 

Then, he heard another voice – this time, a female one. He remembered it - he heard it once before when he was on call with Y/n.

 

 

“Is that Y/n? Oh Y/n, sunshine, welcome home!”

Turning around, the warlord saw that F/n was gone and instead Y/n’s mother was now in the hallway, hugging Y/n and then turning towards him and greeting him with a smile so warm it took him aback somewhat  - he wasn’t used to this kind of treatment, he wasn’t used to people’s first reaction upon seeing him being…this.

“Maximillian, so glad to meet you,” the woman said, walking up to him, her eyes – almost exactly the color of Y/n’s – looking him over with curiosity, “You can call me M/n, and welcome to our humble Christmas Eve dinner.”

“The pleasure is mine, I assure you,” the warlord nodded, not forgetting to let himself smile a bit. It was…surprisingly easy to do so as he looked at Y/n’s creator, spotting familiar features that Y/n inherited from her. Come to think of it, in retrospect, he could see some similarities between her and her father also. Human genetics, so peculiar.

“We…brought some presents,” he informed the woman, nodding to the side where he put the bags. Looking where he nodded to, Y/n’s mother gasped in surprise, putting her hand over her chest as she exclaimed:

“Goodness, that’s a lot!” she then looked at the silver-haired man, a touched and still somewhat surprised smile on her lips, “Maximillian, you really didn’t have to bring anything for us, your company would have been enough.”

 

He smirked in earnest – there was just so much of Y/n in the mannerisms, in the words and the intonation, it was both strange and fascinating. Sure, cybertronians picked up mannerisms, traits and habits from those they were close to too, but this was almost surreal. And, at the same time, this human was still so very different from _his_ human.

 

“I am afraid that I could not let that happen,” he stated simply and M/n chuckled, the quick glance she threw Y/n not escaping Megatron’s sight. His lover clued him in that she had told her family some general stuff about him, and it seemed that what knowledge they possessed now worked in his favour, Y/n’s mother having an idea of his personality at least in broad strokes, enough not to regard him as a total stranger.

“Well then, you can place them under the tree, I’m sure they will look lovely together with the others,” the kind woman said, “Anyway, I must run back to the kitchen to keep watch so that nothing burns.”

“I’ll come over to help you with whatever’s left to do once I introduce Maximillian to everyone,” Y/n said and Megatron hoped that the way his gaze snapped to her wasn’t too obvious. She was planning to leave him on his own? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Part of him was glad that she trusted him enough not to feel the urge to constantly monitor him, the other part of him was sceptical – would he end up being bored out of his mind with Y/n not even being there to keep him company and give him something pretty to focus his attention on?

“Oh you don’t have to, Y/n,” M/n said quickly, but the younger woman just gave her a calm, patient smile of someone who had already made up their mind.

“I will be there shortly, mom.”

“She’s so stubborn sometimes,” M/n sighed, chuckling and looking at the warlord. He couldn’t help but nod, a small smile touching his lips.

“I’ve already had the opportunity to learn that. She indeed is.”

Y/n gave both her mother and him a jokingly scrutinizing look before smirking and shrugging.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable, you two,” M/n said, stepping back and nodding towards the entrance to the living room before disappearing into the kitchen. Looking to Y/n, Megatron was met with the inquiring look of her e/c eyes and nodded, wordlessly confirming his willingness to continue. She offered him a warm smile and before they made their way into the living room, she touched his forearm affectionately, the brief contact soothing both of them. He wasn’t nervous at all – after all, he had absolutely nothing to fear from a bunch of organics -  but the touch made him feel more comfortable, placing him into a state of mind that could be called amiable. After that, she led him into the room where the rest of her family was.

 

“There you are!” one of Y/n’s grandmothers – the one they met just yesterday – exclaimed happily, “And Maximillian came too!”

The room that was previously full of voices had now become much quieter, only the music continuing to play in the background as everyone in the room, all seven people, turned their heads to look at them. At him, specifically.

Well, he wasn’t new to tense situations. But usually they involved firefights…

 

 

“Hi guys!” Y/n chirped happily from beside him and immediately the room exploded in warm greetings for both him and his companion, catching him somewhat off guard.

“Oh Y/n, dear, hello!” the girl’s other grandmother hurried to hug her before turning to Megatron, “Maximillian, was it? I’m Gm/n. So glad you could join us tonight.”

“Pleasure to meet you, as well as to be here,” he answered without much thought. He could be courteous if needed, after all. Reminding himself that Y/n’s relatives weren’t as proficient in reading him as Y/n was, he offered a small, brief smile to the woman to assure her of the sincerity of his words before he spotted an older man approaching them.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Gd/n, Y/n’s grandfather,” he said as he offered Megatron a hand, the warlord – now accustomed to the practice - readily grasping it in a handshake. He wasn’t sure if him getting more familiar with human customs was a good thing – probably not – but for the purposes of today’s event it was helpful.

“Come on, give the guy some space!” a youngest human male in the room smirked from his place on the chair before looking back to his phone and Megatron recognised him as Y/n’s 22-year-old second cousin.

“Well we’re curious,” another, somewhat older man countered as he chuckled, and judging by the list of attending people Y/n had given him, this had to be her uncle, and the woman that stood beside him had to be her aunt.

“Go be curious at a museum, geez,” the second cousin rolled his eyes and then flashed Megatron a grin, “I’m C/n, by the way.”

The warlord nodded in acknowledgement before doing it again when his lover’s uncle and aunt introduced themselves. He remembered all the names easily. Though, truth be told, he wouldn’t be able to say that he considered committing them to his long-term memory. As he couldn’t say that he cared for anyone other than Y/n in this house. Still, these humans were…welcoming. Kind. He could see this going somewhat more pleasant than what he was anticipating.

 

 

So…now what?

 

 

With a rustle of bags, Y/n left his side to place the presents under the Christmas tree that stood in the end of the room. The warlord surveyed the room with a trained eye, taking in everything in it quickly and then followed her calmly, continuing to look over the room as everyone returned to their places. Fire crackled in the fireplace, small bursts of sparks sometimes shooting from between the burning wood. Above the fireplace, photos were hung and he looked over them briefly before stopping behind Y/n and near the chair where her second cousin sat. He looked to the corner of the room where a sizeable table stood, already prepared for a feast, silverware and glasses reflecting the light from the chandelier. He mused that he was to share a meal with a whole group of humans tonight. How peculiar life could be. 

 

“So Maximillian, how did the two of you end up together?” the girl’s grandmother suddenly asked. Some in the room chuckled, Y/n herself sighed loudly from under the tree and her second cousin smirked, looking up from his phone and shrugging.

“Leave it to grandma...”

“Within the first 10 minutes no less…” Y/n joined in, chuckling quietly, the Christmas tree’s decorated lower branches moving above her head.

“Well it’s better we put it behind us instead of everybody wondering for the whole evening, right?” the older woman giggled innocently.

Just as the warlord was beginning to wonder if his lover was deliberately using the tree as cover, the young woman stood up and dusted off some pine needles from her shoulder calmly, giving him a curious side glance. Looking over everyone present, the silver haired man cleared his throat.

“I must say, I am used to being the one who conducts interrogations.”

 

The room was briefly filled with soft chuckles and it was amusing how no one in the room besides Y/n – and even she, only partially – knew the real weight of that statement.

 

“Even Big Boss men answer to grandmas,” the cousin smirked and even though Megatron wasn’t even remotely in agreement with that statement, he was fairly sure that it was meant as a joke.

“Some grandmas should consider being less straightforward though,” Y/n’s grandfather commented somewhat reprimandingly, to which the older woman just shrugged and grinned, her curious eyes focusing on Megatron.

“Well, Y/n had warned me that this could happen,” the warlord stated simply, deciding to follow his lover’s advice and act as he usually did with her, as much as he was comfortable of course.

“See, then there’s no problem!” the curious woman chirped.

“I don’t think that was a ‘go-ahead’ for you to ask all your questions,” Y/n’s father shook his head.

“Watch the two grandmas ask _all of the questions_ ,” the second cousin chuckled and the young woman sighed dramatically, her relatives beginning to chuckle light-heartedly at her misfortune.

 

 

This was all…strange. The surroundings were unfamiliar and it was unusual for people to treat him in this manner, to act so much less respectful, less fearful and much more relaxed in his presence. He couldn’t say that it was unpleasant, but it was definitely not what he was used to, especially from creatures that he mostly considered to be so much less than what he himself was. And talking about him and Y/n…that was a topic he hadn’t discussed with anyone before, even if what he was going to say was mostly lies anyway. Then again, he knew what he was agreeing to yesterday, no use getting apprehensive now.

 

 

A gentle tug on his sleeve made him look at Y/n, who nodded to the empty chair near the fireplace. Come to think of it, standing in the centre of the room and towering over everyone probably wasn’t something he should do for the remainder of the evening. As he proceeded to the chair and sat down, the warmth from the fireplace reaching him in a pleasant way, he heard Y/n’s aunt call out.

“Y/n, you can sit over here on the couch with us!”

“Nah,” the young woman replied as she sat down on the soft armrest of the chair he now sat in, the position reminding him of how she sat on his throne’s armrest just a short  while ago, “I’m good over here.”

The aunt said nothing, but gave Y/n a face that said ‘Of course you are’ in the most sly way possible. Y/n’s father said nothing, but Megatron noticed the slight twitch of his eyebrows.

 

 

He should probably get this over with.

 

 

“Why don’t we put the questions behind us?” he said calmly. Y/n was his in any case, and while he wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of discussing any of his personal affairs with anyone, _especially_ humans, he could bring himself to understand why these particular humans wanted to know something from him.

“Oh we won’t bother you with many,” Y/n’s other grandmother promised with a sweet smile, “But if it’s okay with you, we would love to hear at least something from you. Y/n told us you work together?”

“Yes,” the man answered as both he and Y/n nodded, “Though our responsibilities differ greatly, so we do not see each other during working hours.”

“Well hopefully that means Y/n isn’t involved in anything dangerous,” the grandfather commented quietly, his steady, somewhat stern gaze meeting Megatron’s. _If only the man knew…_

“Of course not,” the warlord shook his head calmly, assurance in his voice.

“Good,” the older man nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“So if you don’t see each other during working hours, how did you end up spending time together?” the aunt asked, and when her husband raised a brow blushed somewhat, “-I mean, if that’s okay for us to know.”

“You women just _have_ to know, don’t you?” Y/n’s uncle shook his head, sighing, after that grinning at Megatron, “Well, since the question got asked already…”

 “You are probably aware that I met Y/n before she started working for me,” the warlord said calmly, looking over everyone in the room. The version of their first meeting being them incidentally running into each other in the woods was already told to her relatives by Y/n, so they all nodded, “Good. After that, it was just a simple matter of me wanting to know who I had under my roof and Y/n being a rather excellent conversation partner.”

“Says the excellent conversation partner,” his lover chimed in, looking at him as she smiled, making him give her an appreciative look in return. He considered placing his arm around her waist, but public displays of affection were never his thing and he sure as Kaon’s pits did _not_ want to encourage more private questions. So he settled with just having her beside him.

“Well it was certainly nice of you to bring her home for Christmas,” Y/n’s father said, ”Have you been here before or is this your first time in town?”

 

 

That...was a rather general question. From Y/n’s parent, no less. Perhaps the ‘interrogation’ would be over pleasantly quickly.

 

 

“This was the first time I visited your city,” Megatron replied honestly, allowing himself to relax against the back of the chair somewhat, “I enjoyed the tour Y/n gave me yesterday.”

“Oh, did you tell him about the pond?” one of the grandmothers asked, chuckling, and Y/n sighed, smiling and shaking her head in defeat.

“Yes, gran, I did.”

“The 'falling under the ice' story?” F/n raised an eyebrow, “Mom, I don’t think that’s a story everyone in the world needs to know.”

“Oh well should I tell that story about you getting stuck in the tree instead?” the older woman asked slyly and Y/n’s father facepalmed, sighing as everyone else laughed and chuckled, Megatron watching the humans with some interest. Indeed, they all seemed to be in good relations with each other, just as Y/n told him. Before, he wondered that if that was the case he would stick out too much, but the humans seemed to accept him into their group readily, treating him like one of their own. It was fortunate….yet strange. He didn’t feel anything in particular for them, but he could appreciate hospitality when it was shown to him. He preferred fear or unwavering respect to drive the actions of those around him, but this…whatever this was, was also acceptable, he supposed. It was for only an evening, after all, and the novelty of it could keep him entertained for these few hours.

 The humans then returned to the conversations they were probably having before he and Y/n arrived – the father discussing repairing cars with the uncle and the aunt talking about mutual acquaintances with the grandmothers.

 

“Well, that wasn’t too painful, was it?” Y/n whispered and the warlord looked up into her e/c eyes, nodding lightly.

“Indeed.”

“My guess is they’ll wait to catch you somewhere alone to ask you some more questions,” the cousin said as he looked up from his phone, a smirk playing on his lips.

“You’re probably right,” Megatron agreed, not quite trusting the family to be done with him yet, “You speak like someone with experience.”

“Bah,” the young man laughed, “You bet I do. When I brought my boyfriend over it was the same thing, only those two over there were less discreet than Y/n’s folks.”

“I can still hear you!” the uncle chuckled, casting a brief glance in their direction before returning to his conversation with Y/n’s father. The cousin rolled his eyes and sighed, after that giving Y/n a genuine warm smile.

“So how’d you been, Y/n? Last time we talked, I kinda rambled and didn’t get the chance to hear how you were. I’ve heard you’re traveling a lot these days?”

“Oh don’t you worry about that. And I am,” the young woman nodded, answering with a smile of her own, ”Maximillian here takes me on work trips as well as lets me fly to some places on my own.”

“Cool,” the cousin seemed genuinely impressed, “So where did you like it the most?”

“Well we were in northern Europe recently, in Finland. Got to see some northern lights, looked amazing,” Y/n shared, and from the corner of his eye Megatron could see how dreamy her expression became. If they were alone right now, he would have probably smiled himself – that place was where many good things happened for the both of them. But because he was not in private with his lover he merely nodded, a calm expression settling itself on his face.

“Of course you’d like the cold places,” the young man chuckled, ”Nah, I’d rather travel to Mexico or something.”

“Well you should go there with Sam sometime,” Y/n said as she put one of her legs over the other, the material of her dress sliding off her knee slowly, the warlord’s eyes catching the movement and lingering on her legs for a moment before he looked to the orange and yellow flames that danced in the fireplace.

“Yeah, if we ever save for it. _F-..flag_ ,” the cousin glanced towards the grandmothers as he corrected himself, rolling his eyes with a sigh before continuing, “Sam couldn’t even come here with me, not to mention an actual vacation.”

To Megatron's side, Y/n sighed heavily.

“That’s tough. I figured that you’re texting with him right now.”

“Yeah, he just recently came online. There was a power outage or something earlier,” the young man looked to his phone before quickly typing out something and then looking back to Y/n and Megatron.

“So tell me how are you?” Y/n asked, her voice softer, warmer now. The young singer sighed and, after a moment of what seemed to be consideration, took his phone and stood up, nodding towards the door. As Y/n turned to Megatron with a questioning look, he nodded, letting her know that he wasn’t against her leaving. Nothing in this house could threaten him, she didn’t have to worry about him. Smiling at him, the girl briefly touched his shoulder before she exited the room together with her second cousin, the sound of the front door opening and closing being heard immediately after.

 

“There they go again, hiding away and whispering among themselves,” Y/n’s aunt chuckled, the grandmothers joining her.

“Yeah well I can’t blame ‘em,” the uncle smirked, then looked at Megatron, “Hey Max, you good with cars?”

“I am more knowledgeable with tanks and jets, actually,” the warlord answered with mild amusement, “But cars are simple enough.”

“Well then, care to join the discussion?” Y/n’s father asked with an impressed half-smile, “Or is discussing car assembly too primitive a topic for you?”

 

 _If only you knew, human,_ Megatron thought to himself, but nodded, turning in the chair somewhat to face the men. If he was to hold a conversation with humans, one about vehicles didn’t seem like the worst option…

 

 

…

 

 

While he talked with the father and uncle, Megatron didn’t lose track of his surroundings, as was normal for a warrior such as him. Small happenings like the sound of the front door opening, the glimpse of the cousin passing down the hallway - presumably going to Y/n’s room, the grandfather exiting the living room and then Y/n’s mother running upstairs didn’t escape his attention. Y/n was nowhere in sight, so he concluded that she was probably in the kitchen, as she had earlier promised her mother to come there.

When he felt a ping in his mind signalling a message from Y/n, he realized that nigh half an hour has passed. He wouldn’t ever have thought that he’d even have anything to talk about with regular humans for that long, and if he did that it would prove to be such a boring conversation that he’d have to constantly remind himself that it was his own stupid idea to attend this gathering. Yet here he was, mildly impressed by the ability of the two men to hold as much information in their human brains as they did. He probably shouldn’t have been surprised – after all, Y/n had proven to be knowledgeable on many topics, but, then again, Y/n wasn’t a typical human. Megatron had somehow expected less depth from the people he would meet today. It was easier to think of humans as simpler creatures, and even though he knew for a fact that if he decided to switch to discussing the general structure of a groundbridge with them they wouldn’t be able to keep up, this was still more than he expected, considering he hadn’t found himself being outright bored or annoyed for the past 30 minutes. The only thing he had to make himself get used to was them addressing him in such a relaxed and informal manner, but it was easier to get accustomed to that once he reminded himself that they were speaking to ‘Maximillian’ and not Megatron, not truly.

They didn’t know better and he was gracious enough to go along with it.

 

While listening to Y/n’s father describing the pros and cons of a certain model of an oil filter, the warlord read his lover’s message:

_Y/n: I see you’re still not bored out of your mind. Or are you that good of an actor?_

 

 

Looking to the side, the silver-haired man didn’t see the girl in the doorway, so his gaze shifted to the window, immediately seeing Y/n there. She smiled and waved at him and he nodded, his gaze subconsciously softening slightly upon seeing her.

 

_I will have you know that I am skilled in the art of deception._

_Y/n: The leader of the Decepticons being good at deception? I find that incredibly hard to believe…_

 

 

As he watched the young woman flash him a grin, he felt his spark give a painful throb. _Oh if only Y/n knew…_ Shoving the thought aside forcefully, the man looked back to the two men when they called out to him.

“You wanna settle this dispute, Max? Don’t let Y/n there distract you too much,” the girl’s uncle chuckled knowingly and Megatron decided not to hide a small smirk at that.

“So he _does_ smile,” the uncle laughed, looking at Y/n’s father who also gave a chuckle.

“Occasionally,” the warlord confirmed, graciously letting the joke slide. This was Y/n’s family after all, Megatron reminded himself yet again, and they had no idea who they were really dealing with and who Y/n was really involved with. The more the thought settled in his processor, the easier it was to disregard the informality these humans were treating him with. It was all for the better, really, he suspected things would be way tenser if everyone present decided to treat him as if he was a complete and total stranger. As he began speaking to the men, he also sent a message to Y/n:

 

_You don’t need to worry about me. I am not bored. Not yet, anyway._

_Y/n: Glad to hear that :D  I’ll steal you away soon._

_That sounds very much acceptable._

 

 

Out of the corner of his eye he could catch Y/n winking at him, and then disappearing, the sound of the front and kitchen doors opening and closing reaching his ears right after.

As he continued to talk to Y/n’s father and uncle, the happy chatter of the aunt and grandmothers and the music serving as background noise, Megatron found the feel of the room being slightly – only slightly – similar to that of the Nemesis’ crew lounge…in the earlier days of the war at least. Megatron rarely visited those parts of the ship in the last vorns, getting used to both his Energon and his preferred conversation partner delivered to his cabin. Partly because he rarely was inclined to informally socialize with his subordinates these days. Partly because of the almost tangible change of mood once he stepped a pede into the room. _'The more the war drags out the grumpier he becomes'_ he once heard Knockout say when the red medic was too distracted by his high-grade to notice Megatron approaching. And while he ordered Soundwave to schedule a sizable addition to Knockout’s list of duties that month, the warlord couldn’t help but wonder about how much truth those words held. Maybe more than he was willing to admit.

 

 

So if he was willing to let it slide that these humans were treating him as an equal, then all of this was…refreshing, really. Surprisingly. Primus forbid this from becoming a regular occurrence, though. An evening would be more than enough.

 

 

“Is everyone doing alright here?” Y/n’s mother, now wearing a nice green dress, walked into the living room and smiled at everyone present, “Now where’s dad?”

“Smoke break, probably,” F/n answered with a smirk as M/n walked over to the table to check if everything was in order. As she did, she got a look as if she suddenly remembered something and turned to Megatron:

“Oh, Maximillian, Y/n said that you should come get her in the kitchen. Apparently she didn't show you the house yet?”

“She did not,” the man nodded, calmly standing up from his chair and looking at everyone present, “If you’ll excuse me, then.”

The humans in the room all nodded and/or voiced their acknowledgement, and the warlord made his way out of the room. Not a moment too late, he thought – while Y/n’s family was much more…manageable to be around than he anticipated, the young woman herself was the only reason he was even here, and her prescense was the only truly valued one.

 

Still, when he was at the door to the kitchen and his hearing caught one of the grandmothers quietly and giddily saying ‘Such a gentleman!’ Megatron couldn’t help but feel a little smug. He then opened the door, warmth and smells of food washing over him immediately, and found Y/n sitting on the kitchen counter, eating a piece of some fruit.

“Hi,” she smiled happily as she saw him and Megatron couldn’t help but let a small, genuine smile touch his lips.

“Hello,” he answered in an amused tone, closing the door, then walking up to his lover and stopping right in front of her, her sitting spot letting them be on the same eye-level.

“Wanna kiss me, maybe?” Y/n asked, her eyes narrowing playfully. Her legs were crossed, hindering him from coming too close, but the girl leaned a little forward, the juice from whatever fruit she just ate making her lips shimmer enticingly. Not wasting time on talking, the warlord reached out, gently placing his hand on the back of Y/n’s neck before pulling her into a hungry kiss…and immediately pulling away with a surprised and mildly disgusted expression on his face.

 

“What in the pits?.. _What did you eat, femme?_ ”

 

Y/n broke out into snickering laughter, the devious look on her face somehow both irritating and incredibly attractive.

 “Lime. The whole of it…I mean without the peel, obviously.”

 He remembered tasting a piece of lime some time ago, and the taste definitely fit, but was much more potent.

 

“…Why?” Megatron asked, raising an eyebrow, “Was the… _experience_ of eating it worth this joke?”

“I eat lemons and limes whole on a regular basis, I like the taste. The joke was a nice bonus,” the girl chuckled playfully, grabbing a glass of water from beside her and taking a sip.

“You are a weird one,” the man said and his lover shrugged innocently while she drank.

“Well then you like weird humans,” the girl pointed out as she put the glass aside, a smug smile playing on her lips.

“Do not remind me,” Megatron groaned, rolling his eyes, “Correction, though: _One_ weird human.”

The young woman barely had the time to start chuckling before he caught her lips with his again. If she thought that the taste of some weird Earth fruit was going to keep him away, she was very wrong. Still, he seemed to have underestimated her too, because when he let his hand fall to her hip to tease her, the woman’s legs uncrossed and, crossing again around his waist, pulled him closer, making both of them gasp and hum into the kiss.

“You are certainly not worried about anyone walking in,” Megatron purred into Y/n’s ear before leaning lower and kissing her neck, the grip that his lover had on his shirt tightening as her back arched slightly and oh-so deliciously.

“Well none of them could sneak up on us anyway,” the girl chuckled as her arms found their way up and around his neck, her body pressing into his as much as possible, his own arms instinctively encircling her waist to hold her close to him. The closeness was sudden but incredibly welcome, and as his spark revelled in the feeling, Megatron realized that Y/n was completely right. Between his ability to scan the surrounding area for heat signatures and Y/n’s ability to sense those of her own kind, none of the other humans had a chance to catch them off guard.

 

…And that was very much fortunate.

 

Kissing lower down the young woman’s neck, the warlord enjoyed the softness of his lover’s skin, the warmth of it, the quickened pulse that could be felt when he pressed his lips to her neck in the right places. Y/n was silent, but her quiet sighs and her caressing hands spoke volumes, their effect nigh intoxicating and only encouraging Megatron to continue. He briefly paused, admiring how the pearl necklace looked on s/c skin, before kissing lower, his lips touching Y/n’s collarbone teasingly. The girl’s nails scratched the back of his neck affectionately, making him quietly purr in appreciation, the warm puff of air reaching her skin before his lips touched the spot. Delicate hands left his neck, instead cupping the sides of his face and gently urging him up, only for his lips to lock with Y/n’s once he complied. The kiss was deep and hungry, and – above all else – incredibly loving, and when it ended,  both of them were slightly panting and looking into each other’s eyes with adoring passion.

“Did I tell you that you look stunning tonight?” Megatron asked half-jokingly, keeping his tone deep and charming as he narrowed his eyes and let a satisfied smirk settle on his lips.

“You did,” the young woman all but crooned, swiping her thumbs over his cheekbones gently, the compliment making her eyes shine beautifully with appreciation, ”And I told you that you look very handsome as well if my memory doesn’t fail me.”

“It doesn’t,” Megatron hummed, “We were almost late because of that.”

“We were almost late because someone decided to carry me into the bedroom and undo the zipper of my dress,” Y/n chuckled, placing a feather-light kiss onto his lips. Looking at the girl with half-lidded satisfied eyes, the warlord raised one of his hands and found the small metal part that Y/n spoke of, grasping it.

“You mean this?...” he asked, raising an eyebrow. The young woman answered with a wide grin.

“Don’t you dare,” she chuckled.

“Or what?” Megatron smirked, amused by the threat.

“Or- ah, nothing probably,” Y/n laughed quietly, and the sound made his spark feel so wonderfully that the man found nothing better than to just pull her into another kiss, both of them smiling into it. Then, as Y/n stopped and he felt someone approaching, they both shared a brief glance and the girl playfully dragged a finger over his lips before the warlord stepped away to a modest distance.

 

“So how are you two dooooing in here?” one of Y/n’s grandmothers asked innocently as she opened the door. She was greeted with the sight of Y/n giggling as she threw a piece of squeezed lime at the silver-haired man, him easily catching it with a look that could be called mildly surprised.

“Hey there gran, didn’t hear you coming,” the girl chuckled as she jumped off the counter and shrugged, ”Just joking around. I was about to start showing Max the house.”

“Oh…yeah, sure,” the older woman said in a slightly disappointed tone, “I’ve just come to, um, see if everything was ready to be brought out to the table.”

“It is,” Y/n said, her innocent smile ever so convincing as she grabbed her phone off the counter and walked towards the door and her grandmother, “Want us to help bring it out?”

“No, no, dearie, we’ll deal with that. You show Maximillian here the house, go on,” the woman urged them on, affectionately tapping Megatron on the side as they walked out, “Goodness!”

“...Is something wrong?” the man raised a brow as both he and Y/n turned to the grandmother.

“No, not at all,” the woman quickly replied, giggling to herself, and waved them off, “Go on, go on!”

 

 

Now both of his brows were raised, but Y/n just chuckled and gently took his hand, leading him out of the room.

 

 

“What was that about?” he asked, looking down at their hands – his own so much bigger than Y/n’s it was borderline funny.

“If I’d had to guess…Hm?” the girl looked at the phone that she held in her other hand and within a moment her shoulders began shaking so much that Megatron would have gotten worried if he didn’t see the huge grin that made its way onto her face. He made a humming sound to inquire what happened and the young woman lowered her head, shaking it and sighing. As he raised a brow she just showed him the phone:

_Gran G/n: Holy Jesus and Maria, he’s ripped!_

 

 

That…caught him off guard so much that his expression of surprise made Y/n laugh outright, the sound making some people in the living room turn their heads towards them as they passed the door.

“Showing Max the house, don’t mind us,” the girl waved them off, still giggling. Megatron just nodded to that and as they passed the door he could hear some people chuckling.

“I told you that both of my grandmothers have memorable personalities,” Y/n smirked, typing out a brief _‘Gran…Ya he is :D’_   that made Megatron feel incredibly smug. The situation itself was beyond ridiculous, but so was him being at a human dinner party, so he dismissed the strangeness of all of it, deciding to focus on the things that felt good. Like Y/n’s smile.

 

“So you like ‘ripped’?” he inquired smugly.

“I like giant mechanical aliens,” Y/n replied flatly, and then flashed him a sly grin that made Megatron smirk knowingly.

“Do you now?”

“Yep. But only a certain one,” the girl winked at him before assuming a completely innocent look and gesturing to the door on the left with her phone-holding hand, “And _here_ we have the bathroom.”

The change in tone was amusing, and Megatron let it happen, briefly looking into the room once Y/n opened the door. As far as human rooms went, it was distinct only in the way of having walls and floor that were covered in white and blue tiles.

“Fascinating,” the man said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Y/n rolled her eyes and smirked, closing the door and walking over to the door that presumably lead to her room. Stepping in front of the door, she knocked quietly.

 

“It’s _your_ room, Y/n,” the second cousin’s voice could be heard from behind the door and the young woman just shrugged to no one in particular before opening it.

“Well you could have been talking on the phone, I wouldn’t want to interrupt that,” Y/n said to her cousin and Megatron caught the brief thankful smile that appeared on the human's face.

“Nah. I was going to return to the living room anyway. When’s dinner?”

“Soon, grandmas were about to start bringing it out,” Y/n nodded.

“Nice. Okay, see you both soon then,” the cousin said to the both of them as he walked past them, eyes and hands already back on the smartphone. Still, he didn’t forget to close the door – which Megatron quietly appreciated. The man walked to the center of the room, looking it over slowly.

 

 

The room was…nice? Megatron could have described it as nice, he supposed. It had a peculiar trait of showing more and more little details that just screamed ‘Y/n’ the more he looked around. Some things, on the other hand, were surprising, making him want to start asking questions.

 

 

“This was my room before I moved out, so some things are from my distant childhood,” his lover explained, walking to his side and following his gaze to a trophy shelf.

“You have done things I was never aware of,” the warlord commented thoughtfully, the sudden quiet of the room a nice change from the front of the house where all the other humans were.

“Well, we haven’t know each other for _that_ , long,” Y/n smiled as she replied softly, ”I doubt I had the chance to know everything about you.”

 

Megatron had to catch and stop himself from pursing his lips, the words prickling at his spark. Instead, he just sighed and then hummed as if in thought, his eyes fixed on the diplomas and trophies.

“A trophy for finishing highschool? Is that common?” he asked. Y/n shrugged and Megatron hoped that her light-hearted mood would rub off on him.

“Don’t think so. But our class was filled with so much bickering and drama that our homeroom teacher decided we each needed one. A last sarcastic ‘You…did it’ from her, I guess,” the girl smirked somewhat darkly as she shook her head and crossed her arms.

“Drama? Between children?” the warlord hmphed.

“The whole world revolves around you and your problems if you don’t know any better,” Y/n shrugged again, “I wasn’t part of the drama, a ‘quiet girl’ you could say.”

“I can easily believe that,” Megatron nodded, looking to the photo of Y/n and her family and then back to his lover. She didn’t change much since then...Maybe less full cheeks, maybe a more confident look in the eye now? Other than that, the Y/n in the photograph and the one beside him were almost identical. He wasn’t really sure what one should say about someone finishing school – in Megatron’s eyes it was an accomplishment hardly worth being overly impressed with. Y/n herself didn’t look like she thought much of that period of her life, so he decided it best to continue. His gaze drifted to another diploma.

“You danced?” the man asked, his brows raising in earnest.

“Well, up until before high school started,” he young woman chuckled, “My studies took priority over dancing, and I wasn’t planning to pursue it professionally anyway. It was all for the fun of it.”

“Ah, I see,” the warlord nodded, looking to Y/n with curiosity, “Ballroom dancing. It suits you. It is a shame there is no photograph here so I could look at you from back then.”

“I’m flattered to hear that,” Y/n smiled at him before her eyes briefly fell to the floor, and then raised back to him. Out of everything, his lover was shy now? Such a peculiar woman, he thought as he watched her with warm eyes, “I’m not one to have a hundred photos of me hung all over my room, though. We have photo albums for that.”

Megatron nodded, finding the explanation perfectly in tune with Y/n’s personality. She was a proud one, yet somehow not vain. Gracefully modest even.

 

“I would appreciate seeing a photo sometime…” he mentioned quietly before he looked to the next framed piece of paper, “Diving? 10 meters?”

“Ah yes, that one,” the young woman smiled happily, her bright demeanour making warmth wash over his spark, “We were on vacation in Egypt, and grandma G/n took me on a diving trip. She didn’t dive, but I did – it was really exciting, I saw so many kinds of colourful sea life!”

The girl nearly chirped in delight at the memories, and the warlord hummed appreciatively.

“With your love of flying, I expected to see a skydiving certificate here,” he pointed out half-jokingly.

“Skydiving was something my whole family was terrified of me picking up and while I was a university student I never really had the spare money to consider it,” the girl chuckled, “I have a much better deal now though, so I can’t complain.”

“I certainly hope you have nothing to complain about,” Megatron smirked, raising a brow at her and Y/n smirked back.

“Oh yes, it’s so tiring to be treated well by a charming mech.”

Oh that made him smile in earnest, the corner of his lips lifting enough to show a bit of teeth. Somehow, flattery affected him in an entirely different manner when it came to Y/n. Perhaps, because he could feel that her words were sincere. Perhaps, because he held her in such high regard. Probably both.

Wrapping his arm around the young woman, Megatron felt her lean into him and smiled a smaller, more private smile as he sighed contently and continued looking over the room, from time to time quietly asking Y/n about one thing or another, her soft replies soothing in an irreplaceable way. It was strange to learn about these things from her past – things that probably shouldn’t have mattered, that really didn’t matter in a practical sense, but mattered in a way of letting him understand how Y/n came to be, well, Y/n. There was much history in this small room filled with things that his lover had for varying amounts of years.

 

 

There was a question in the back of his processor, though. It was a private one, and if Y/n decided to ask him the same in turn he wasn’t sure if he would have complied. So he kept quiet. Not for long, though.

 

 

“You seem to be looking for something,” the young woman's gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at her, only barely surprised by her insightfulness by this point.

“I may be. I am not sure if I should ask,” he answered honestly, though it took effort. It was not easy to admit that anything could make the Decepticon leader experience doubt, and next no one ever heard him admit it. This was Y/n, however. Megatron had long since resigned to treating her like an extreme exception to all of his rules and - until now - it was working out for the best.

“You may ask anything you want to know,” Y/n said softly, her e/c eyes warm and loving as her hand gently rested on his chest.

“Very well,” the warlord nodded, once more looking around the room, “I was wondering. You had mentioned that you used to write when you were younger.”

The hand on his chest flinched ever so lightly, but Y/n’s surprised expression was soon replaced by a calm, understanding one.

“Yes, I did. Children’s stories and short love stories mostly. Sometimes creepy stories or stories specifically written for friends. You wondered if those could be found here?”

Megatron nodded, his dark red eyes focused on Y/n, looking for signs that he had made her uncomfortable. It seemed like he didn’t, at least not to a point where he could notice it. The young woman gestured to a bedside cabinet.

“Lowest drawer,” the girl said simply, “Though I'm sure that there’s nothing worth reading.”

“I highly doubt that statement,” Megatron said, carefully letting go of his lover’s waist and giving her a serious look, “I intend to just look at the covers. May I?”

“Of course,” Y/n replied as she nodded calmly, giving him the go-ahead to approach the bedside cabinet. Getting down on his haunches, the man tugged at the handle of the lowest drawer carefully and it slid out easily towards him. Inside, neatly stacked onto each other were different kinds of notebooks and notepads of differing sizes.

 

 

Huh…he subconsciously expected datapads. How forgetful of him.

The warlord smirked quietly.

 

 

“Yes, notebooks with waterfalls on them. Very funny,” he heard Y/n right over his shoulder and turned his head to face her.

“No, I was just amused how different our methods of storing information is,” he explained and understanding flashed in Y/n’s eyes.

“Oh, you mean datapads. Well, a few of my later works are stored digitally. This is what I used when I was young enough to have time restrictions on my computer usage.”

“I see,” the warlord nodded, returning his gaze towards the stacked pieces of paper. Slowly, he raised a hand and picked up one, looking over it from the front and the back.

“From when is this one?” he asked absentmindedly.

“From when I was in middle-school, I think,” came the soft, almost nostalgic reply, “I was about fifteen then.”

 

Fifteen, huh? Megatron tried to imagine this much younger version of Y/n, sitting in this room in the evenings, writing about…something.

“I think this one was about a girl moving into an old mansion and befriending a spooky ghost and some scary but well-meaning forest creatures,” Y/n helpfully offered, a stray strand of her h/c hair falling onto his shoulder before she promptly stood up properly and took some steps back, “You can look around, there is no hurry. I just don’t want to hover over you.”

Megatron didn’t answer verbally. He did, however, look over his shoulder and nod in appreciation.

There was a certain familiarity to this, he thought as he turned back to the shelf and traced another notebook with his index and middle finger. Early works, written in secret with skills that were yet rough, unpolished, thought up by minds that were young and emotional, and naïve. Perhaps, he was looking too much into this, projecting too much of himself onto Y/n. Then again, was he? The young woman was smart, she was definitely brave, and though she lacked his ruthlessness that was definitely a good thing – gentleness suited her much better. Yet, it was here where they were similar. From scribbles on old reassembled datapads and simple school notebooks to eloquent speeches and quick-witted discussions, their minds have sharpened over the years as did their speaking skills. Closing his eyes for a moment, the warlord ordered himself to get a grip. All of this – the house, the family, Y/n herself – was getting to him more than he was willing to allow and this was far enough. It was one thing to enjoy his lover’s touch, to let himself love her – and a completely other thing to get all emotional over mutual interests of their pasts. Carefully placing the notebooks and notepads back, the warlord slowly closed the drawer and stood up, turning to look at Y/n.

 

And once he did, his spark nearly stopped.

 

The young woman was sitting on the bed, and nothing was different about her except her eyes. Those beautiful, e/c eyes, full of such warm emotion and such a deep understanding that he just knew- He knew that she was perfectly aware why he asked, why he looked, why took the time to touch the faded notebooks. She may not have known the full depth of his connection to her hobby, but she knew enough to understand why this was important to him. The human girl stood up and offered him her hand.

“Would you like me to show you the back yard before we return to the living room?” she asked softly and he was ready to kiss her for not bringing up anything from his past, for not voicing any assumptions that she might have had even if those assumptions turned out to be true. Not out of fear. Out of genuine respect and affection. Megatron placed his hand into her small one and nodded.

 

They didn’t move though.

 

“...Would you do me a favour?” she asked, a smile finding its way back to her lips.

“Anything,” he easily replied, genuinely meaning it at this moment.

“Would you consider briefly changing form?” Y/n asked, placing her free hand on his chest, her eyes focused on his sternum. There was no spark there, not really, but he could swear by the darkest pits of Kaon that it felt like she was staring right at it. Megatron gave her a questioning look, but a scan showed no one approaching the room, so he obliged. Something deep inside him, something subconscious flinched and then was filled with warmth when Y/n smiled lovingly upon seeing him in his natural appearance. For a moment, he wondered if this request was actually for his sake.

Wordlessly, Y/n rose to her tip toes and her hands raised, sliding up his chassis and under his helm, caressing the metal of his face. The mech leaned down, his optics half-lidded, his arms now placed around the girl’s waist firmly, possessively even – yet careful enough not to harm. As their lips met, he allowed himself not to supress a quiet purr-like sound – he knew for a fact Y/n loved his voice, and it felt good to let her know of his enjoyment. The sweet sighs and caresses he got in return were also a reward of their own.

As the kiss ended, the young woman looked him in the optics affectionately.

“Thanks,” she all but cooed, and the warlord couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Not sure who should thank whom right now, my dear Y/n.”

 

A delightful smile graced his lover’s lips, made all the lovelier by the slightest blush that he spotted on her cheeks. The mech offered the girl a smile he only used in private with her – a relaxed and warm one, before turning back to his human avatar.

“Shall we?” he asked, nodding towards the door.

“We shall,” Y/n agreed half-jokingly, and they walked out of the room.

 

 

Their next stop was the back porch, and Megatron cursed himself for forgetting one detail.

The damned dog.

The thing looked more like some feral forest animal than a dog. To top it off, despite its appearance and his lack of love for animals(organics in general, really) it _immediately fell in love with him_. He ended up using the human bathroom after all, washing off the slobber and fur off his hands while a giggling Y/n stood to his side, no doubt amused by his disgusted expression. He hated organics. How could he have ever forgotten?

 

Just then, there was a sound of a doorbell ringing, a door opening, someone walking through the hall together with Y/n’s mother…and then a sound that resembled a screech more than anything.

“Ah, that must be Sam,” Y/n said, a calm and merry smile playing on her lips.

“Sam _who?_ ” Megatron asked flatly, wiping off his hands on a towel he hoped to Primus was for wiping hands. Y/n hadn’t burst out laughing, so he assumed he got it right.

Before she could answer, the sound of a stampede rushed through the foyer and hall, and Y/n’s second cousin was suddenly on the girl, nearly crashing into her and sending them both flying into the bathtub.

“ThankyouthankyouTHANKYOU!” the young man squeezed Y/n so tightly that Megatron wondered for a moment if she could have handled that if she were not a cybertronian proxy. He also felt a pang of discontent at someone touching Y/n like that, but this was her family, so he reasoned with himself to stand down, especially when he heard the girl laugh happily.

“You’re welcome, I figured you two should spend Christmas together.”

“You sneaky fuck!” the cousin cursed, his eyes alight with joy as he finally – _finally_ – let go of Y/n and looked at her accusingly, “You could have told me you bought him a ticket here!”

“Sorry, Sam asked me not to. He wanted it to be a surprise…I didn’t object,” the young woman grinned, mischief flashing in her e/c eyes.

“I hate both of you! I love both of you!” C/n laughed, then flashed Megatron a grin, “What got you to wear such a scary face?”

“Dog slobber,” the man answered flatly, and the cousin laughed again. The warlord didn’t even think the guy could be so bright and cheerful until now.

“Well, make sure to come over soon, everyone’s ready for dinner,” C/n said as he made his way out of the bathroom, “And don’t worry, Max, now you’re not the only boyfriend to get questioned.”

 

 

And, with that, he was gone.

 

 

“…. _Boyfriend,”_ the man repeated, the word sounding more like an insult.

“It does seem silly when applied to you,” Y/n chuckled as she dusted off the skirt of her dress.

“ _Boyfriend,”_ Megatron grimaced, “It sounds outright ridiculous. It doesn’t even make sense.”

“Aw, aren’t we friends?” the girl teased, but gave an understanding nod after that, “I share the opinion. Then again, what would you like people to call you? And before you say ‘None of their fraggin’ business’, these are innocent frail grandmas we’re talking about.”

“None of their fraggin’ business still sounds like a good option,” the warlord grumbled, rolling his eyes, “Whatever you deem appropriate for your family to use.”

“Well you should be comfortable with it as well,” Y/n pointed out thoughtfully, and Megatron gave her a curious look as she continued, “On the Nemesis, I’ve heard that it’s common to call it ‘partners’. Would you be okay with that for today?”  
“Very much so,” the Decepticon nodded before a knowing look flashed in his eye, “Also, no need to downplay the role of your friends from the medbay, who you probably heard that from.”

Y/n just chuckled, exiting the room and heading towards the living room, Megatron following close behind.

 

…

 

 

The warlord found his way to the porch that was on the back side of the house and put his elbows and forearms on the railing, letting it support him. He sighed - his breath coming out in a visible puff of air and rising up before dissipating - and looked up into the clear winter sky, suddenly feeling tired and even somewhat confused.

The dinner was…pleasant. Unexpectedly so. Strange, unfamiliar, _in the company of humans_ – but far more enjoyable than what he was preparing himself for. The food was delicious, Y/n’s relatives were genuinely friendly and the mood at the table was one that allowed for both light-hearted banter and some interesting discussions. While he was planning to make a game out of guessing what traits Y/n got from whom if he got bored at the table, in reality Megatron was treated as if he was a long-time member of the family and so his opinion was always asked for, both his plate and his glass were always kept full and he was as much the target of quips and smartass remarks as was any other person at the table. It was strange, being treated this way, strange interacting with humans like this. Y/n had earned his respect and affection bit by bit, word by word, action by action. He wouldn’t even dream of giving a flying frag about the humans he had seen before, when they were previously out with Y/n. These people, however…while he wouldn’t be able to say that he _cared_ for Y/n’s relatives – the number of beings he genuinely cared about currently being a staggering Two -  he viewed them differently from the start and during the evening that opinion only strengthened. Maybe that was the cause of this unfamiliar feeling burrowing into his spark like a hungry scraplet. Maybe it was their kindness, their hospitality and the overall sense of warmth that filled the house so much that it was borderline overwhelming. Maybe it was him? Was he somehow getting weaker, too close to these particular humans, too swayed by their simple yet somehow effective displays of friendliness? Maybe he just forgot how it felt like, to be surrounded by creatures that enjoyed his company and weren’t his subordinates at the same time? How long ago was it, that he had an experience that was at least similar in the way of feeling like it felt right now? He considered trying to remember, but decided against. What did it matter...?

 

The sound of something massive approaching captured his attention, and Y/n’s dog ran up the porch’ stairs and to him, wet nose pressing into his hand before an even wetter tongue licked it.

 

Megatron’s cheek flinched.

Primus. Ew.

 

Glaring at the canine with his dark red eyes as he slowly moved his hand away, the warlord was met with the innocent stare it gave in return, that disgusting tounge still visible as the dog breathed through its maw.

“Charming. Now go search for some bone you have stored away in the ground…or something,” the man said and immediately cursed himself for doing so. This was _a dog_ – it didn’t understand a word he said, why was he even talking to it? Because Y/n did? Because he got too into this whole human culture thing? Because he was getting soft and distracted and-

 

 

The door opened and it only took a sideways glance for him to know it was just Y/n. Thank Primus it was Y/n.

 

 

“May I join the two of you?” the young woman asked gently, and it took a second for Megatron to understand who else besides him she meant. Turning away and nodding, the he looked back at the night sky, the sight of familiar constellations a calming one – it made him feel like he was back on his ship, doing the things he usually did instead of…whatever this was. The worst part of it was the fact that he actually kind of liked whatever this was.

His breath hitched when he felt his coat being gently lowered onto his shoulders, the young woman carefully and wordlessly adjusting it to cover him as much as the holomatter cloth could. His body tensing momentarily before relaxing again and his eyes immediately focusing on her, the Decepticon lord gave Y/n a look that was equal parts surprised and touched, the simple gesture, the mere idea of her thinking of it striking him right in the spark. The girl smiled warmly at him and stood by his side, the dog having thankfully run off to rest in its doghouse. Megatron looked at the girl still, his gaze steadily becoming calmer, and Y/n leaned to his side, letting their shoulders rub as she looked up and took a deep breath of cold winter air. He leaned into her also, the contact doing wonders to calm his previously unruly thoughts.

“Tired? Want to go home?” Y/n asked softly, and the way she referred to the Nemesis as ‘home’ brought a wave of warmth washing over his spark, reminding him that whether it was somewhere he was unfamiliar with or the place he considered fully his own, his lover wanted to be with him. He could handle – by the darkest pits, he _had_ handled! – every trial and horror life threw at him, _and_ emerged victorious. Still, whoever stood behind him were exactly that – followers, traversing on the path he had created, the steps of their pedes landing on the prints his had previously left. Soundwave was the closest he had to a trusted individual, a friend, but the Decepticon lord had resigned from letting himself get too attached even to him. Ever since the times of Orion, ever since the times of Term-

 

Megatron sighed heavily. He caught Y/n looking at him, worry in her eyes.

 

“This was…nice,” he finally spoke, not sure how much he wanted to say, “Maybe somewhat _too_ nice. I am not used to this, Y/n.”

The young woman nodded, a quiet sigh escaping her. The warlord internally debated whether he wanted to say anything else, but nothing came to mind – nothing his pride and his vorns-old view of himself would let him say. So he stayed silent, hoping that what he said was enough to clue Y/n in.

“I see,” the girl said quietly before pressing into him a bit more and putting her small, delicate hand on his own large one, the warmth from her skin seeping onto his, “Though I can’t relate, I understand. It must be strange, all of this – all of them.”

“Yes. Strange. More than you can imagine,” Megatron said, closing his eyes and sighing in relief, his lover’s words soothing his spark. Reaching out, he put his arm around her shoulders, letting it rest there and noting how she leaned into his touch. It was both exhilarating and tiring, to invest so much into someone emotionally - especially for someone who had long since forgotten the practice. Still, not even Megatron could deny how liberating it felt. Even if he was going against what he himself had been preaching for vorns and vorns and making himself push past the borders he had kept himself confined to for so long.

“We can go home whenever you like, I think you filled - and overfilled - your quota on interacting with my family. I think _I_ have overfilled that quota, honestly,” Y/n said with a soft laugh and it took entirely too long in Megatron’s opinion for him to finally answer with a slow nod.   

 

 

They were out of the house not ten minutes later, their hands filled with bags of presents and the warm goodbyes of Y/n’s family still fresh in Megatron’s memory. Her grandmothers addressed him so warmly it was almost enough to confuse him. Her grandfather quietly said that he had been watching him during the evening, and concluded that ‘Max’ was someone he was glad to be able to shake hands with. Y/n’s uncle, aunt and cousin invited him over if he ever was in their town. Her father had shaken his hand and put his other hand on Megatron's shoulder. Her mother had hugged him.

The Decepticon lord was hoping there wouldn’t be an instance where Y/n would want him to visit her family anytime soon. He wasn’t sure he would ever want to return to that house again. It was one thing to deceive Y/n – that was difficult enough – but receiving all that kindness from the people closest to her...Megatron wasn’t used to that. He had no logical reason to get used to it. He certainly had no _need_ to get used to it.

 

He wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone, not even himself – but somewhere deep in his spark, he knew. He knew he had _no right_ to get used to it.

 

 

As they walked, the warlord looked over to Y/n. She was looking up into the sky, and she noticed when his gaze focused on her. She then gave him a small apologetic smile.

“Sorry if all of this was too much for you, they tend to get a little carried away sometimes,” the young woman said and he immediately became determined to avoid any misunderstandings regarding his behaviour.

“It was a very enjoyable evening, Y/n. Truly,” Megatron said, the seriousness of his tone hopefully carrying across the honesty of his words, “As I have said before, it is just something I am not used to.”

E/c eyes lingered on his, and the girl sighed quietly in relief before giving him a warm smile.

“Well, truth be told, these kinds of things can be taxing even on me. I much rather prefer more private evenings.”

“Is that so?” the warlord inquired, a half-smile briefly appearing on his face.

“It is,” the young woman nodded simply.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

That night, as he lay beside Y/n on her bed, his half-lidded optics focused on the back of her head, on her neck and back, Megatron let his thoughts wonder.

 

At least, he tried to. He tried having the same discussion he had with himself previously, something in his spark tugging him back towards the idea of reassessing his position, the idea of what he was doing and how wrong it was. Yet, despite it being all kinds of wrong in a moral sense, it _felt_ like the most right thing he did since deciding to fight for the freedom of the Cybertronian race. Everything in his spark was telling him to learn more, to take more, to give more and grasp, and hold, and not let go. It was absurd that a human – a strange result of Autobot experimentation and Earthling tampering – would do this to him in mere months. A laughable period of time – unheard of, unacceptable, ridiculous. And yet, there they were. He was fairly certain he wasn’t alone in this, Y/n had hinted on occasion that she was more careful, more wary to fall for someone so completely – but the revelation only worsened his own condition really, providing him with an encouragement to continue and pursue this feeling, this ache that only let up once Y/n was close enough that he could touch her.

 

And now, once they’ve interfaced, once the feeling of Y/n being so completely his was engraved into his processor and spark, Megatron felt like this was irreversible.

Huh, how naïve of him to think that even for a second. _Irreversible._ So much could happen to shatter that statement. No, it was more that he _wanted_ to think that, to imagine it lasting…well, however long it could.

 

It was addicting, the warlord thought as he ever so lightly traced his lover’s bare shoulder with an index digit. It was wrong, and right, and it made him feel like he was a better mech and a deadlier mech simultaneously. Above all, it made him feel like there was something – someone – waiting for him to return ‘home’. Someone he wanted to return to. Such basic programming – to want someone to care for, to want to be cared for. He disregarded it, pushed it aside, didn’t settle for anything even close to it for so incredibly long…and now it came back with a vengeance. Figures. With a pang of irritation, the warlord felt like he had this line of though too many times before and was now just needlessly running in circles. Everything was fine – Y/n was his, she was satisfied and so was he. No need to complicate things, he assured himself as he traced the girl’s spine until his servo encountered the thin blanket that covered her from the waist down.

 He had _this_ , _now_ , he reminded himself as his digit dragged up the girl’s back, his optics admiring the fragile, soft creature before him. Beautiful – both spark and frame – and _his._

 

Y/n stirred and turned, and now sleepy e/c eyes were looking at him. He wasn’t sure what kind of expression he wore at the moment, but it only took Y/n smiling sleepily for him to lean closer and start kissing her, a sudden intense hunger for his lover overcoming him. His sharp digits touched her neck and tangled in her hair as he kissed her again and again, his scarred lip plates pressing against her soft lips. It was selfish of him – waking her up like this - but she answered, and both her sleepy kisses and the more passionate ones she was beginning to give him- _Primus, they did things to him._

 And he needed more.

 

 

…

 

 

 

As his lover lay panting, her head resting on his chassis, no doubt letting her hear the rapid pulse of his spark, Megatron uttered his first – coherent - words for the night.

 

“Should I apologize for waking you?”

 

The exhausted chuckle that got him made him smirk, and the warlord pressed Y/n closer to himself, his arm finding a rather comfortable place to rest in the curve of the girl’s waist. The young woman looked up at him, the lust that was previously there now mostly gone, replaced by a sparkwarming fondness.

“Promise me you will always wake me up if you need me,” she asked of him gently, her slender fingers tracing his Decepticon insignia and the armor around it.

“I’m afraid you will end up with a severe lack of sleep if I honour that arrangement,” Megatron chuckled, raising an optic ridge slightly. That got a brief laugh from the girl.

“I don’t mind, I actually liked being woken up to something like this,” she assured, but then sighed, lowering her head on his chassis as her eyes still looked at his from the darkness, “I’m serious. Either for this or for any other reason you need me – please wake me up.”

The Decepticon lord regarded her with a steady, thoughtful stare, before slowly nodding.

“Very well. I expect you to do the same, Y/n.”

“Thank you. And I will,” his lover nodded before flashing him a sly smile, “Megatron?”

“Hrm?”

The young woman’s hand travelled down his chassis to his pelvic armor before she flipped herself onto him, her bare body now on his and her knee raising up to press against his currently closed interface panel. _Oh._

“And here I thought I tired you out,” the warlord mused as lust flashed in his crimson optics and a highly-pleased smile touched his lips. Y/n didn’t say anything. She did, however, offer him a smile that was absolutely, deliciously sinful before kissing him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron is SO confused and conflicted in this one at times, PrimusXD Try to live your whole life without a concept of 'family' and then spend several centuries holding onto the idea that you're too cool for the concept of 'friends' - then dive into a loving family dinner, see if that screws with your head;D
> 
> We'll be returning to the Nemesis, Megatron's usual demeanor and our regular shenanigans in next chapter ;)  
> (And the next chapter will come out soon - like, tomorrow soon;D)


	38. Appreciation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the Nemesis' crew get to experience the morning of the 25th of December in accordance with human traditions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter? Kiiinda. But there's Soundwave. And Laserbeak. And the OTP.
> 
> Also, you know what gives me life? The fact that Breakdown and Knockout are officially husbands in the IDW comics and that it was done as a nod to all of us who KNEW that there was something there;D Don't believe me? Here ya go: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Breakdown_(IDW)
> 
> Okay, with that out of the way...Hope you enjoy!

 

Soundwave’s internal chronometer showed that it had just turned 07:00 in the morning in the time zone the Nemesis was currently in. The communications officer opted not to recharge that night, instead staying awake and working on the terminal that was located in his private quarters. Laserbeak, however, was recharging in the safety and comfort that the dark mech’s chassis provided.

Just now, however, the deployer had awakened, his systems coming out of recharge as an internal alarm signal woke him up. It was not an alarm that warned of danger, however. This alarm was set to go off in the early morning by Laserbeak himself, the small Cybertronian having agreed to perform a specific task today.

 

And, judging by the excited ping in Soundwave’s comm - a request for an eject - Laserbeak was impatient to get to it.

Letting the bird-like Decepticon detach from his chassis, the black and purple mech watched him fly up to the ceiling, then swoop down to the corner of Soundwaves quarters where a pile of boxes of differing sizes was located, the only thing common among them being their brightly-coloured wrapping.

 

 

Apparently, Laserbeak had agreed to a request from Y/n to deliver these boxes to different crew members of the Nemesis. Because it was a human holiday where tradition dictated the granting of presents. So, Y/n acquired presents.

As the chief of communications watched Laserbeak acquire a couple of boxes, small magnets that were placed on the boxes allowing for comfortable transportation, he allowed himself to muse for a moment. Soundwave found the notion ultimately inconsequential, the giving of trinkets to represent one’s appreciation being something he didn’t remember having strong opinions on. Things could be broken, taken away, and ultimately very few would last long - especially during times of war.

Still, he supposed it was…a nice gesture. If not somewhat ironic, considering that Y/n did not know the full picture, the true stories of those whom she was showing such affection. One could say it gave the whole situation a bittersweet feel.Then again, it didn’t physically affect Soundwave or the Decepticon cause in any way so it shouldn’t affect his thoughts either. So, as Laserbeak flew out of the room and the door slid shut behind him, Soundwave returned back to work, leaving his thoughts on the matter as simple as they should be.

 

Nice gesture. Not worth overthinking.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Laserbeak was excited, and he wasn’t really sure why.

 

In the early days of the mini-con’s existence, when Cybertronians still lived according the rulings of the corrupt Council and the sickeningly unfair caste system, Laserbeak despised completing assignments. As a Cybertronian with a non-standard, ‘inferior’ appearance he and his similarly-built brethren were often considered less intelligent, less important, less…well, less of a Cybertronian really. As such, Laserbeak’s primary job was completing tasks such as delivering or retrieving things, occasionally engaging in espionage.

Laserbeak was good at it. Very good. He could have even taken pride in it if it wasn’t for employers who would often treat him as nothing more than a low-intelligence creature and - later on - Soundwave’s pet. The underestimation would prove advantageous in the gladiatorial pits and then once war eventually broke out, and the deployer did get to take pride in his work once he and Soundwave began working with Megatronus – one of the few mechs who had treated Laserbeak as if he wasn’t any different from the others from the beginning. No. Different, yet not inferior. Laserbeak sometimes wondered, who it was who came to a conclusion to join Megatronus first – him, Soundwave, or Ravage. As tightly knit as they all were by then, it was difficult to say with certainty.

 

 

And now, here Laserbeak was – delivering _presents_ of all things. As a favour to a _human_.

 

 

How unpredictable life could be. If Ravage was still alive, Laserbeak wondered what he would say. Probably nothing, but he would roll his optics in a rather dramatic manner. As the deployer turned a corner, careful not to be too fast and risk dropping the boxes that were attached to his underside via magnets, he absent-mindedly wondered how Y/n and Ravage would have gotten along. Y/n was a human who Laserbeak fount it easy to get along with, so chances were even Ravage would have come to that opinion…eventually.

 

But he let his thoughts stray too far, the small Cybertronian thought. Why was he excited to do things for Y/n?

His spark knew the answer already – the human was nice to him. No, ‘nice’ was too simple of a word. Respectful, kind. Aside from politely questioning Soundwave on the intellectual capabilities Laserbeak possessed, she had never once doubted the deployer’s right to be respected as much as the other mechs aboard the warship. And for probably the first time since the day when Laserbeak met the idealistic, but passionate gladiator known as Megatronus the mini-con had a feeling in his spark that this creature deserved to be given a chance to be trusted.

She was unfamiliar with the prejudice of Cybertronians, but she was a human – all the more room for ignorance. Yet, somehow, they had found an understanding that was pleasantly surprising. Laserbeak was different. Not inferior, but different. He had behavioural patterns some could call…primitive, but that was the way he was. The mini-con was also more in-tune with his senses and his spark, and while he was completely fine with Soundwave deciding things for the both of them - his calm and calculating nature perfect for making fast and optimal decisions - sometimes it was Laserbeak who would urge Soundwave to take a closer look at some issues.

 

 

Like Y/n, for example.

 

 

Soundwave was always a cautious, introverted mech, but as the years went by, the war dragged on and the betrayals and spying attempts piled on, his friend had become even more closed-off, even more focused on nothing but the Decepticon objective, relying on Laserbeak or sometimes Megatron for socializing.  Which was fine…most of the time.

Sometimes, however, Laserbeak wondered where that absent-minded, music-loving, kind and even mischievous mech disappeared to. It wasn’t difficult to find an answer, too: Into his work. Into the war. War had a tendency to change mechs, and Soundwave was no exception to that.

So, when a homo sapiens appeared on the ship and Soundwave was business as usual Laserbeak agreed. When they kept a close optic on her for weeks and the mech did not show any interest aside from what was required of him to do his job, Laserbeak could understand. But as days passed and the girl stayed aboard the ship, and even began visiting them, Laserbeak found himself wanting to know more. And once he had gotten to know Y/n, he felt it in his spark that he needed to make a suggestion to Soundwave to also get to know the human better. His friend was rarely enthusiastic about anything these days, especially not socializing, especially not with potential war casualties….but he listened. Was it because Laserbeak rarely insisted or because the human had already captured at least some of the communications officer’s interest – the deployer wouldn’t know. Ultimately, he didn’t care which it was.

When Laserbeak found himself in a situation where soft, gentle hands pet the tip of his wing and both Soundwave and Megatron were sharing a meal-time and discussing things that – for once in a long while – weren’t tied to the war, and even some good music was playing in the background, Laserbeak decided that his ‘gut feeling’ (as humans called it) was right.

 

 

Y/n was good people. For however long she remained on the ship and remained the Decepticons’ ally, Laserbeak was willing to enjoy her company and keep her under his wing if that ever became necessary. The human’s personality sat well with the mini-con, and the flights they now often took together were highly entertaining too. Soundwave also benefitted from the girl’s presense, his breaks now including not only time needed exclusively for the optimal amount of recharge or combat training, but also for taking more regular flights, searching the human internet for music and exchanging recommendations with the Nemesis’ human resident. In an interesting turn of events, Soundwave – and, by extension, Laserbeak – found himself talking to Megatron more often. Not for long periods of time, and still mostly business, but sometimes, _sometimes_ they just talked. It wasn’t something shocking, the mechs exchanged thoughts on many different occasions during the war, but this somehow felt-

 

Sometimes it was almost starting to feel like how it was in the beginning of the war…or maybe even before it, if Laserbeak was bold enough to think that.

 

Maybe, the small Cybertronian thought as he hovered in front of the door of the ship’s medical officer, maybe this willingness to help Y/n out was his way of repaying her for all of that. More primitive behavioural patterns or no, the deployer repaid his debts when that was possible. So, might as well stop thinking too much and continue with his task – the sooner he would be done with this the sooner he would be able to get his own box from Y/n.

 The mini-con lowered himself slowly, landing slightly to the left of the door and letting the magnetic seals disengage, leaving the two brightly-decorated boxes on the floor as he himself flew up again, proceeding to fly down the hall with a high-pitched chirping sound. He wondered what his present could be. He secretly hoped it was something delicious.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

That morning, Breakdown woke up from a ping on his comm. A message.

The mech did not stir upon awakening – he was always a calm sleeper, but since beginning to spend nights with Knockout he grew a habit of locking up his body to be completely still during recharge. It was a standard practice among soldiers, really, but some chose not to engage in it – if they had the private quarters to do that, of course.

Knockout had private quarters and was definitely not one to be still during recharge – Breakdown could fall into recharge with the red mech clinging to his side adorably only to wake up and find him on top of himself or – even more perplexingly – clinging onto him, but now onto Breakdown’s other side. The blue bruiser wasn’t against it – he found it endearing, really, - but he seriously considered putting up a camera for the night to later watch how lively during recharge the speedster was exactly.

 

 

But back to the message.

 

 

It was from Laserbeak, which was already strange. They weren’t on a mission, what gives?

Opening one lazy optic and looking down onto the scarlet mech that was currently sprawled out on top of him, Breakdown couldn’t help but smile. Knockout’s bravado, self-confidence and sass were amusing and alluring, but this calm, peaceful expression was what Breakdown lived for and would happily die for.

 

 

…Right, the message.

Readying his spark for whatever Soundwave could want from him, the mech was surprised to learn that the message only held two words:

 

_[Packages delivered.]_

 

 

Packages…Oh.

 

 

**THE PRESENTS.**

 

And just like that, Breakdown was now willing to jump out of berth so much it was agonizingly difficult to think of ways to do that without waking his partner.

 

That damn Y/n, she really wasn’t kidding about getting them something for that human Christmas thing!

It has been a long, long while since somebody besides Knockout gave him something and the mech was curious to see what the girl came up with, not only for him but also for Knockout. It didn’t even have to be anything flashy, Breakdown thought, laughing to himself about how excited he now was.

Breakdown was a simple mech, presents were a good thing, so they made his mood a whole lot better.

 

 

Ever so carefully, the blue mech slightly lifted his partner and relocated him to a spot beside himself. The medic didn’t stir, but when Breakdown was pulling his servos away one of them was caught in an iron grip and black and scarlet optics looked at him, intense even as they were half-lidded.

 

 

“And where are you planning to sneak off to?” Knockout murmured in a tone that was probably supposed to be demanding, but ended up being adorable in its drowsiness. That grip on Breakdown’s servo was almost frighteningly unyielding though.

“Just a quick run to the door,” Breakdown smiled at his partner reassuringly. The medical officer’s optics narrowed, barely slits now, as he was no doubt trying to sleepily assess the situation.

“…Why?” he finally asked, closing his optics and sighing, his arms going around Breakdown’s forearm and pressing it to his chassis possessively, “Don’t.”

Breakdown felt his spark throb and his faceplate heat up slightly. After all these years, Knockout was still overwhelmingly perfect. Perfectly beautiful. Perfectly adorable. Perfectly lovingly selfish. Just perfect.

“There’s presents waiting for us at the door,” the blue mech reasoned with a warm-sparked chuckle, “Lemme just pick ‘em up and I’ll be back.”

“Pre-sents?” Knockout asked, one of his optics opening. Oh, that got his interest alright. Breakdown could see realisation flashing in the medic’s gaze, and then suddenly both his optics were open and Knockout was sitting on the berth, looking down at Breakdown expectantly, “Breakdown, there are presents at the door.”

“There sure are,” the blue mech smirked. Knockout’s gaze became even more dramatic.

“You wanted to get them…”

“Sure, but you told me not to. So, you know,” the bruiser demonstratively vented a yawn, “…Maybe later.”

 

 

The look on Knockout’s face was priceless. From knowing the cherry red mech for so long, Breakdown knew he was probably internally debating if he should act angry or pout to get the larger mech to do what he wants. The medic chose the third option, however. Breakdown liked the third option.

 

 

“Breakdown,” the medic purred, beginning to trace a slim, delicate digit across the blue mech’s broad, scratch-covered chassis, “Be a sweetspark and get those presents, hmm?~ I’ll be sure to properly thank you later.”

And he meant it, Breakdown could see mischief and alluring promises in those haunting optics, and it made his spark skip a beat and a grin find its way onto his lip plates.

“Fiiine, you win,” the larger mech chuckled before sitting up on the berth.

“Such a sweet mech,” Knockout cooed, not even thinking about hiding the smug satisfaction that was now on his face.

“I know you are, but what am I?” Breakdown looked over his shoulder, raising an optic ridge was he stood up. For a fraction of a moment, there was a look of surprise on Knockout’s face, before the red mech sighed, chuckled softly and shook his head, waving the bruiser off coquettishly.

“You’re unbearable, go pick up the presents. And then come back here, this berth gets awfully cold without you.”

“Yessir,” Breakdown nodded with a smirk before walking off to the door. He soon returned, holding a pair of boxes in his servos. One was rectangle-shaped, about the length of two of Knockout’s servo-lengths and the width of his servo – it was wrapped in red paper and had a little (well, by mech standards) gold-coloured bow in the corner of it.

“This one is for me, thank you~” Knockout said, an amused grin playing on his lips as he gracefully stole the present from Breakdown’s servo, “So what do you think it is?”

“Eeeh, beats me,” the blue mech shrugged, looking over his own box. It was about the same shape and size, maybe a bit bigger, and Breakdown now understood why Y/n would need to have employed Laserbeak’s help – there was no way she could have comfortably carried something that was almost twice times her size, if not bigger. His package was wrapped in blue paper with snowflakes on it.

 

 

Knockout’s incredibly smug face came into view.

 

 

“Aaaw, someone finds it cute.”

“It’s…nice,” Breakdown looked at his partner stubbornly, refusing to get flustered. A wide, knowing grin found its way onto the medic’s lips.

Slag it.

“Yeeah, it’s cute,” the bruiser dragged out, rolling his optics, “Now let’s open these already before you kill me with that look of yours.”

Knockout chuckled and gave him a sly look, but didn’t tease him anymore, his attention returning to the box in his servos.

“Good idea,” the doctor said with a greedy glint in his optic. In a moment, deft digits did away with the paper and the bow was stuck onto Breakdown’s shoulder armor, “Now, let’s see…”

Opening the box, Knockout gave a thoughtful hum when all he saw were some kind of soft pieces of plastic foam. Curiosity in his optics, the medic carefully tried to stick his hand inside. Breakdown watched him silently, taking in and committing to memory this side of his partner while the latter was occupied. He also may have taken a few photos.

 

Suddenly, Knockout flinched. His servo slowly, ever so carefully, moved to one side, then another.

 

“No…” the cherry red mech murmured, and Breakdown looked at him, his full attention on his partner. As Knockout grasped whatever was in the box and started to slowly extract it, pieces of plastic foam shifting and falling to the sides of the box, the blue bruiser subconsciously leaned a bit closer. As the reflective surface of the gift caught the light of the room, Knockout’s faceplate became delighted as can be.

“It is!”

“That’s a fancy mirror,” Breakdown, chuckled, quietly approving Y/n’s choice of a present, but ultimately more captivated by his partner’s expressions. The mirror was nice too, however – it was big enough for Knockout to comfortably look at his faceplate, and the frame it was in was gold with intricate details.

“That’s _the_ mirror!” Knockout looked at Breakdown through the mirror, a grin on his face, “We saw it in some extravagant hotel in that Vegas city, and I wondered out loud how nice it would be to have it in the medbay to check whether there’s Energon or oil on my face after operations.

“Wait, you wanna put it in the medbay?” the blue mech chuckled, raising an optic ridge. His partner nodded, still not tearing his optics off the mirror – or, more accurately, from his own reflection in it. 

“I do, right above the counter near the operating table,” Knockout hummed, “Oh that Y/n…wonder if she stole it or bought it.”

“Knowing Y/n,” Breakdown smirked knowingly, “Probably bought it.”

“You’re right, too honest for her own good, that one,” Knockout said thoughtfully, getting another glimpse of himself before shooting the bruiser a sly look, “Well? How about yours?”

 

Breakdown looked back at his own box, and didn’t waste time opening it. Much like in Knockout’s case, he was met with a sight of pieces of plastic foam. A puzzled expression settled on his faceplate as he reached inside, deciding to be as careful as Knockout was. His blunt digits felt something, and he took it into his servo, pulling it out. Immediately upon seeing it, he started laughing.

 

“Okay! Okay, I can _definitely_ find a use for this!” he laughed as a glass that humans dubbed a ‘beer glass’ gleamed in his servo. It had been a while since he drank out of something that was not a cube(human bars not included), and he was genuinely impressed that Y/n remembered him telling her about Cybertronian bars. Knockout snickered, soon after asking to look at the glass and hold it. It was impressively big in Knockout’s servos, and a quick google search revealed that it was, indeed, the largest glass of beer in the world, 2,4 meters/8 feet tall, able to hold 1627 liters/430 gallons of liquid.

“Better not break it anytime soon, then, seems like it’s the only one,” Breakdown chuckled as he watched his partner examine the glass.

“I’m actually surprised humans had this one,” Knockout raised an optic ridge in amusement as he returned the glass to Breakdown, “Be sure to share.”

“As long as I get to look into the fancy mirror,” the blue mech replied jokingly.

“I would be offended if you wouldn’t. Such a handsome mech like you should look at himself more,” the medic said as he gave him a flirtatious smile, and the loving seriousness of his tone made Breakdown’s spark swell. After all these years, he still had no idea how it was that an appearance-disregarding factory worker-turned warframe like him got someone as amazing as Knockout.

 

But, by Primus, he’d die to keep it this way.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

As the morning went on, more packages got delivered.

 

Several small boxes wrapped in bright paper were left in the Vehicon barracks discreetly. A white box with a royal red bow was put to the side of the Decepticon leader’s door. And now, Laserbeak was preparing to fly off to Y/n’s room to receive his own present. Soundwave spent that time working, not paying much mind to what his deployer was up to, his mind already made up on the subject.

 

That is, until he received a message from Laserbeak:

 

 

_[Package delivered.]_

 

 

The door to Soundwave’s quarters slid shut, and the dark mech was left alone in his quarters, a box sitting on his berth. The communications officer turned his head slowly, looking at the package, zooming in to inspect it closer.

The box was about the size of an Energon cube, purple with a silver bow on the side - two round, shiny silver bells attached to the bow. The lid looked like it could be opened immediately, so Soundwave decided that a minute-long break wouldn’t hurt. Slowly, the mech walked up to his berth, his helm slightly cocked to the side as he reached out and touched one of the bells on the bow with his spindly digit. The small round thing made a quiet ringing sound, and Soundwave paused for a moment before moving it again, now a bit more. It pushed against the other bell and both jingled quietly.

 

 

Finally, the mech lifted the lid, and his mask reflected the magenta and blue glow that came from the box – it was filled with Energon candies. On top of the candies, a cybertronian flash drive lay. It was small, about half the lenght of his index digit, but it wasn’t its most notable feature – this flash drive was truly antique. The casing was a polished dark-silver color with engravings of Cybertronian avianoids etched onto it – this was something that would have probably been troublesome to acquire even while they were still back on their homeworld.

Flash drives were mostly an obsolete thing, really, especially for someone like Soundwave. They were, however, useful for copying and storing away information in a way that couldn’t be accessed even if the main servers were compromised. This particular kind of flash drive was exquisite, too, something Soundwave imagined senators used back in the day. A quick scan on the thing revealed that it was also modified to hold infinitely more data than it was intended to, and that there was something on it already.

Black, spindly digits picked up the flash drive while the other servo picked up the box, and Soundwave proceeded to return to his station, placing the drive onto the sensor-surface of his terminal. The surface lit up, a circle of data surrounding the flash drive as it momentarily scanned it for any malware and then quickly opened a new window on the holoscreen. There were two folders and a video in the window that opened – the folders were named ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘E-25.12.20XX’, and the video was simply titled ‘For Soundwave’.

 

 

This was…new.

 

 

Deciding to open the video first, the communications officer was greeted with the sight of Y/n smiling at him. The background seemed familiar, and an astrosecond later Soundwave recognized it as Megatron’s quarters, just viewed from a much different perspective as he was used to.

“Hey there, Soundwave,” the human girl greeted him and gave a small wave to the camera, “I know you guys don’t celebrate human holidays and I promise not to annoy you with each and every one of them.”

The girl chuckled, and then continued:

“So, anyway, I hope you won’t be against me giving you a small gift. It’s nothing special, but _someone_ clued me in that you like both sweet and sour variations of Energon candies. So I hope you’ll enjoy the ones you got. I made them, Knockout confirmed that they were safe to eat.”

 

Soundwave momentarily looked at the small box full of Energon candies that now stood on his desk, then his optics returned to the holoscreen just in time for him to hear a quiet smirk coming from off-camera. The voice was immediately recognizable as Megatron’s. Y/n’s eyes darted to the side and a sly smile appeared on her face before she cheerily continued:

 

“Also, I compiled a big – well, ‘human standards big’ – folder of about twenty gigabytes worth of music from all over the net for you. Since you like filtering them by ‘mood’, I tried to do it as similarly to you as I could for your listening convenience. The gracious Lord Megatron over here actually decided to participate in the gift giving act, so the flash drive and the other folder are from him.”

 

 

…A gift from Megatron?

 

 

It had been vorns since the warlord had given Soundwave something for some special occasion. Not that their relationship got worse, but times changed mechs and this…this was unexpected.

Not only did Soundwave get something from Y/n, he got something from Megatron and that caught him so off guard that when Y/n started talking again his digits ever so slightly twitched.

“But it would be rude not to let the Decepticon leader speak for himself, so hear you go-“

“Y/n,” there was a warning in Megatron’s voice, but a quiet chuckle was the only answer Soundwave heard before the camera turned and suddenly he was facing Megatron who was sitting in his chair at his desk. The warlord’s face was stoically neutral, but if his earlier half-threat was any indication this part was not scripted.

 

 

Soundwave would be lying if he said that he wasn’t amused by the turn this video took.

 

 

 “Soundwave,” the Decepticon lord addressed him, the angle of the shot making him look even larger that Soundwave was used to, “You know as well as I do that we do not celebrate Earth holidays. Still, it has come to my attention that it has been…a while, since I showed you appreciation for your invaluable work.”

Megatron paused, and Soundwave was thankful for that because he needed an astrosecond. This felt distantly familiar, bringing memories from as far back as before the war. Megatron was acutely aware of how much he depended on Soundwave and how much he was expecting of him. He would often thank Soundwave back then, and they would often spend time together as they refuelled, planned their next move and imagined the glory they would bring upon Cybertron and themselves.

It was not like Megatron did not appreciate his work or spend time with Soundwave after, but this particular display of appreciation felt strangely, almost nostalgically like the times before the war.

 

Megatron spoke again and Soundwave’s spinal strut instinctively straightened, the dark mech snapping his full attention back to the screen. He then relaxed, however, as the warlord on screen seemed to be at ease also, his large clawed servos brought together, digits interlaced as the warlord’s elbows rested on the chair’s armrests and as his body leaned back. The calm, steady gaze of crimson optics was a welcome sight, and reminded Soundwave that this was indeed an informal message.

“If I remember correctly, you had a fondness for antique things. I made sure, though, that the flash drive is as practically useful as it is pleasing to the optic. It is something from my private collection, and I am of the opinion that it would be better off in your servos than mine. The folder contains a program I was working on – I realized that it could potentially be useful to you.”

 

Megatron looked slightly above the camera, and it was then that Soundwave remembered that it was all Y/n’s idea in the first place. The girl herself appeared on screen a moment later, warmly smiling at the communications officer.

“You heard it yourself. I hope you like our little gifts, and I sincerely wish you a nice day! See you around, Soundwave.”

 

With a final brief wave of her hand, Y/n ended the video message, letting Soundwave’s room once again descend into silence and leaving the communications officer himself somewhat confused…and, surprisingly, somewhat flattered. Above all that, Soundwave was definitely thoughtful, thinking back to his leader’s demeanour in the video. Starting the message over, he watched it without the added element of surprise, studying both Y/n’s and Megatron’s expressions, voices and gestures.

Both were polite and seemed in a rather pleasant mood. Looking over the video information, he found out that it was recorded way in advance, before the mine incident. Soundwave wasn’t sure if that was relevant, but at least it explained how Y/n was able to acquire all these gifts even though she was kept in her room until recently – she planned this all out in advance.

 

 

Soundwave had no emotional ties to this ‘Christmas’ holiday, but he could recognize and appreciate courtesy where he saw it.

 

 

Thin digits picked up a piece of square-shaped magenta-coloured glowing candy, and the black reflective mask hissed quietly as the locks on it depressurized. The spymaster’s free servo held his mask as his lipplates parted and he put the piece of glowing candy into his intake, enjoying the sour taste of it. They had found much Energon recently, and as the candy sizzled on his glossa Soundwave supposed that if Megatron was okay with sometimes using it for purely recreational purposes like this then he was also very much fine with it.

 

 

Megatron himself, though…until now, aside from his secret affair with a human, he hadn’t done anything drastic and nothing that conflicted with the mission. If anything, his productivity had objectively increased and he was taking better of himself, so Soundwave had no intention of discouraging his leader from anything. Partly because the mech knew that it would bring nothing but Megatron’s wrath upon him, and partly because, well…

 

As he bit down on the candy, shattering it and letting small pieces sizzle on his glossa, the ex-gladiator looked at the screen, optics narrowed and curious.

 

Soundwave came to appreciate Y/n’s prescense. For however long Y/n was to remain on board and continue being as benign – or even helpful – as she was until now, Soundwave was actually fine with it. He had no idea how Megatron was planning to deal with a scenario where the girl found out the whole truth about the Decepticons – their leader in particular – but it wasn’t Soundwave’s business, not really. He had his orders. And Soundwave did not disobey Megatron’s direct orders. The mech wasn’t planning to invest too much into this, but until now it was…nice, to have Y/n around. He didn’t often meet creatures he genuinely found himself wanting to spend some time with instead of spending all available time alone. And Laserbeak obviously liked Y/n a lot. So, if he was freed of the choice of whether tell Y/n the truth or not, all he could really do was enjoy her company while it lasted.

 

The mech threw another piece of candy into his intake before putting his mask back on.

It was time to get back to work. After that, he had some business to attend to.

After all, Soundwave was anything but ungrateful.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, guys...40 chapters. The end isn't even in sight XD The next chapter is in sight, though, it's coming soon;D 
> 
> I'm gonna be done with winter eventually, we have about 3-4 chapters of it left. One of them may be a Birthday chapter. One of them may be really smutty. As always, I'll warn you at the start of the chapter if that last part will indeed happen~


	39. Payback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Y/n wants to do is sleep. Unfortunately, her acts of Christmas kindness result in her not being able to do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A round of applause for the wonderful Corvid (http://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Corvid/pseuds/The_Corvid), who volunteered to proof-read this 9000word monster. Thank you, dear! <3
> 
> And thank you to everyone who comments, leaves kudos and simply takes the time to read the story(it's a Big damn story at this point, so wow, you're still here), you're all amazing and I'm so grateful!
> 
> So, yeah. Y/n has a fun night and just wants to recover by getting some of that sweet, sweet sleep.  
> Things do not go like she wants them to.

 

 

Y/n was asleep when her phone made a high-pitched ringing sound, much like bells jingling -  a sound that meant that someone was requesting entry to her room. It was a nice and long-awaited feature, one that was finally installed after her guards were relieved of duty. No one aside from Megatron was given automatic access, and it made the room feel a lot safer, a lot more like Y/n’s own space.

 

…Which someone was wanting to get into very persistently.

 

With an exhausted half moan, half grumble, the girl flinched, then opened her eyes, eyelids feeling incredibly heavy. Her head was throbbing and her lips pressed into a frown, she hugged the covers close to herself with one tired arm as she reached out for her phone with the other. The display lit up and Y/n hissed like she was some mythological creature of the night, closing her eyes for a moment before carefully opening them up again.

 

 

**07:47**

Seven. _Fucking._ Forty. Seven.

In. The. Morning.

 

If the clock didn’t lie then she had fallen asleep not even an hour ago. Well, ‘fallen asleep’ was putting it mildly. The young woman was fairly sure she simply lost consciousness after another ‘interfacing’ session with the warlord….which explains why her body still faintly ached all over. Cybertronian proxy or not, one did not just shrug off a night with Megatron. And this night was-

 

 

Another signal rang out with a high-pithed _Rrring!,_ wiping away the beginnings of a smirk that had just begun forming on Y/n’s face.

 

_Who the hell…? At this time of morning no less!_

 

 

Bringing up an app on her phone to look at the feed of the newly-installed surveillance camera, she saw that it was Laserbeak. Realization hit her like a truck and she quickly tapped on the screen to unlock the door. The tell-tale mechanical chirping sound of the mini-con flying could be heard, growing louder as he got closer.

The young woman jumped out of bed, the light-headedness that came immediately after making her vision blur for a second and her body to stumble a bit forward. Steadying herself, the girl smirked and snickered under her breath about a certain warlord who gave her a damn good reason to remember him, after that wrapping her bare body in a blanket and coming up to the window, casting the curtain aside and moving the blinds just enough to open it.

 

“Hey, Laserbeak! Be out in a few minutes, okay?”

 

She heard a chirping sound that was distinct in a familiar way, letting her know that the deployer acknowledged her words. She gave the bird-like Cybertronian a smile as he landed in front of her cabin before she let go of the blinds, letting them fall into place.

She was tired in more ways than one - not to mention a mess! - the girl thought as she decided to take a quick shower. The sensation of warm water on her body was nice and refreshing, even if she did let herself stand under it for only about three minutes – enough to shampoo and rinse her hair, brush her teeth in a quick, violent manner her dentist would surely not approve of, and then quickly run over her body with shower gel-covered hands.

Stepping out of the shower and looking into a mirror, Y/n glanced at her pristine neck where only recently a bitemark and several hickeys were left by her lover. And though the marks were all gone without a trace, her face still flashed a shade redder – and not entirely out of embarrassment. Still, after the shower she felt like she was now at least somewhat removed from the panting mess of a creature Megatron had reduced her to just a couple of hours ago. Not that she didn’t do her best to do the same, she thought. The smile that the partly fogged up mirror reflected was absolutely sinful, and the girl scolded herself to not to get caught up in memories of recent events or of a certain face in pleasure… _‘GO. DRESS. YOURSELF.’_ the young woman ordered herself sternly, shaking her head with a sigh before drying herself off with a towel and then wrapping it around her head. If she couldn’t stop thinking about the night, at least she could get dressed while doing it. Y/n walked out of the tiny bathroom and into the bedroom, and only now did it occur to her how much it smelled like _interface_ in here. It honestly made her laugh a little, and it certainly didn’t help with making her thoughts change course.

 

 

She couldn’t help it, really, she thought as she found and put on some underwear.

Megatron was just too alluring – whether mech or man, she reasoned with herself as she pulled a pair of red pants on.

And this night, she had both, she reminded herself smugly as she threw the towel onto the chair and put on a comfy cream-coloured sweater.

(Un)surprising as it may be, she actually genuinely preferred the mech, she mused, deciding that she was far too tired for anything besides cosy slippers and putting said slippers on.

But whatever form Megatron took, seeing him in pleasure was a sight that set her heart(and other parts of her) on fire, she thought as she took a hairbrush from her desk and walked out of the room.

His unmistakable presence, the heat he radiated, the look in his optics, his touches, his voice-

 

 

“Hey there again Laserbeak!” Y/n chirped cheerily as she opened the door, a bright innocent smile adorning her face as she ran her fingers through her h/c damp hair, “Sorry, just couldn’t make myself wake up – had to take a brief shower.”

The deployer nodded, his Vehicon-like visor lighting up momentarily and two mandible-like appendages twitching in excitement.

“You seem excited,” the girl chuckled, a knowing look in her eye, “It’s behind the house.”

 

 

Immediately, the mini-con took off, darted over and behind her cabin and soon emerged with a small box attached to his underside via magnets. He then returned to Y/n, putting the purple square-shaped container between them and landing. The box was easy to open – a simple electronic lock – that Y/n made sure of for an occasion if the deployer wanted to open it himself.

“You want to open it here?...So no pressure then,” Y/n smirked a bit nervously, clasping her hands – and the hairbrush – behind her back, “I wasn’t sure what to give you, I know you’re not one for material values…”

Laserbeak gave her a brief look before leaning down, his purple visor flashing momentarily. The lock on the box opened immediately, the lid snapping open, revealing 6 closed containers filled with a glowing substance that was a few shades brighter and seemed to be of a thicker consistency than the usual mid-grade Energon. Y/n watched Laserbeak closely, and by the twitch of his wings she carefully assumed that he was…glad?

 

“It’s a condensed sort of Energon I usually use for candies, but I asked Soundwave and he told me you only consumed liquids, so…” the girl’s sentence trailed off and she gave a hopeful smile instead of finishing it.

Laserbeak looked at the containers, then at Y/n. Then back at the containers – then at Y/n. He cocked his head ever so slightly, and his wings twitched again, and now Y/n was beginning to get nervous. Then, the mini-con leaned down, catching one of the containers with his mandibles and taking it out of the box. Once it was on the floor his mandibles punctured the thin aluminium-like lid of the container and began sucking out the light-blue substance.

 

 

The deployer’s primary, secondary and tertiary wings twitched and then moved a little excitedly, and it was then that Y/n let herself sigh in relief.

 

 

“Okay, I guess you like it,” the girl smiled – and while it was a tired smile, it was also a happy one. She watched Laserbeak for a few moments curiously – she never before saw him eat – but then realised that it was probably rude to stare. So, she stepped back and made her way towards the porch and her rocking chair, sitting down and bringing her legs up to sit cross-legged. Running her fingers through her hair again, checking if she could comfortably brush it by this point, the girl let her thoughts wander, wondering if some of the mechs already opened their presents. Soundwave probably did. The corners of Y/n’s lips twitched upward when she remembered the video message that went with it, hoping that Soundwave found it at least somewhat amusing.

Laserbeak was done with the portion soon, and Y/n noted to herself that consulting Soundwave was a good idea. With how close – both literally and figuratively – the two were, the communications officer knew what his deployer liked and disliked. And vice versa, of course. Both liked sweets, which Y/n found absolutely adorable. The mini-con, releasing his tentacle-like appendages and standing on them as if they were legs, approached Y/n slowly. He made a satisfied sound that was a bit more lower-pitched than his usual vocalizations as his secondary and tertiary wings fluttered a bit. That behaviour Y/n knew well – Laserbeak was indeed happy.

“I’m glad you liked it, you have 5 more of those to enjoy,” the girl smiled. A black and purple tentacle reached out to her, smaller components Y/n could only describe as ‘feelers’ moving, the nodes on the ends of them glowing slightly. Reaching out, the young woman let the alien bodypart touch her hand carefully, the feelers twitching once they touched skin, after that wrapping around her fingers and her whole hand and squeezing carefully, making Y/n giggle.

“You’re very welcome. Really, it’s me who has to thank you for helping with the presents,” she said warmly, covering her mouth with her free hand as she yawned, “Ah, sorry.”

The bird-like cybertronian cocked his head to the side slightly, gripping her hand a bit stronger, feelers exploring her hand curiously. It was a strange feeling, the closest Y/n could come to describing it would be as if her hand was explored by an octopus with spindle-thin tentacles. The feeling wasn’t unpleasant but it still hadn’t lost its novelty – Laserbeak only touched her hand like this once before, for learning purposes.

The deployer, while small compared to Soundwave, was still huge compared to Y/n, his wingspan almost like that of a small plane. The tentacle-like things and the feelers on them, however, were small enough to interact with her comfortably…even though Y/n knew for a fact that those things were able to administer an electric shock capable of easily killing a human.

Then again, there were so many things and beings on the ship able to kill her instantly and easily that Y/n grew numb to it by now, especially considering that _most_ of the Nemesis’ inhabitants weren’t really interested in seeing her dead.

 

 

And Starscream could go and frag himself flying….Wherever he was.

Whether the seeker learned his lesson or was plotting something, he stayed out of Y/n’s sight – and that was mostly enough to keep her calm. That and Soundwave’s assurance that he would be keeping and extra close watch on human-sized Groundbridges opening from now on.

 

 

A light tug on her hand brought Y/n back to reality, and the young woman looked to the tentacle wrapped around her hand and wrist before lifting her gaze to look at Laserbeak, a friendly smile finding its way back to her lips.

“Sorry, got lost in thought,” she said, grasping the alien appendage a bit tighter and chuckling. The deployer seemed to be satisfied with the explanation and soon freed her hand, retracting the tentacle and wrapping both around his present before lifting into the air with a familiar quiet chirping sound.

“Leaving so soon? Well, don’t be a stranger and visit soon,” Y/n winked at the mini-con, secretly a little happy that he kept his visit brief. She liked Laserbeak a lot, but right now her exhaustion, sleep deprivation and awakened hunger were scratching on the walls of her patience like a pack of ravenous wolves. The bird-like Decepticon nodded, his visor flashing briefly, and then flew up and towards the door.

 

 

By the time the huge metal door slid shut behind Laserbeak, Y/n was already halfway towards her fridge, her eyes shining hungrily.

Though food seemed to just somehow disappear inside of her, her body seemed to require quite a lot more of it than before. Y/n had tied that to her abilities growing, deciding that it was only logical that her body was in need of more sustenance now that it could accomplish feats that were nothing short of inhuman.

 

 

Wonder where that food went, though, she thought as she stuck a large bowl of soup into the microwave.

She really should get on that, she reprimanded herself as she sliced about five slices of bread and smeared them with butter.

She keeps putting off asking Knockout if he has anything to run a scan on her, she sighed as she put the bread and the bowl of hot soup on the table and sat down.

That’s a really cowardly thing to do, especially considering that these days her curiosity almost outweighs her worry about what she may find out…or, well, confirm, really.

 

 

The girl sighed again before blowing onto a soup-filled spoon and then sticking it into her mouth, the familiar taste of her mother’s recipe bringing her some comfort.

Soon, she will ask Knockout soon.

As she ate, Y/n tried to focus her thoughts on something else while her gaze travelled around the room. Surprisingly, she noticed something that had escaped her attention previously:

 

_There was a gift box under the Christmas tree._

 

A red silk ribbon with a large bow adorned a shoebox-sized silver box, the beautiful alien patterns that were engraved on the metal catching the light that got between the lower branches of the tree.

Y/n looked at it, slowly putting away the half-eaten slice of bread. Only one Decepticon was allowed to enter her home unannounced, and the young woman had no doubts regarding who had left the curious, luxurious-looking box under her Christmas tree. With a slightly anxious smile, the girl rose from the chair and stepped closer to the tree. She was just a couple of steps away from the present when her phone made a familiar jingling sound, and immediately after someone banged on the metal door to her room.

Sighing, she looked at her smartphone and saw that it was Knockout and Breakdown who were at her doorstep, the big blue bot banging at the door and the red medic looking into the camera as he struck a charming pose. Rolling her eyes and chuckling under her breath, Y/n unlocked the door and, looking back at her half-eaten food and then at the present under her tree, left the house to greet her guests.

 

 

“Breakdown, Knockou-“

“Y/n!” the medic interrupted her as he walked up to her house and kneeled, a sly smirk on his face, “We had such an interesting morning, you know. Laserbeak left us gifts today.”

“Oh really?” the young woman asked, raising a brow and smirking, “I guess he, or maybe Soundwave, was feeling generous.”

“Yeah, we’re basically best buddies now,” Breakdown said as he also kneeled, his yellow optics shining in approval and his face adorned by his signature wide grin.

“Ah, so you came by to tell me that you don’t need me anymore,” Y/n placed her hands on her hips, looking at both mechs with an expectant expression that was almost convincing.

“Yep, sorry, doll. Soundwave’s the new hot mech to spend the time with,” Knockout gave her a sideways glance as he shrugged with one shoulder, “So now we’re off to spend time with him…Sitting in total silence and being creepy, I guess.”

“Hey, Soundwave’s not creepy!” the girl protested, but couldn’t hold back a chuckle which prompted both the red and blue mechs to smirk.

“Suuure he’s not,” Breakdown gave her a look that was both amused and not convinced in the slightest, but then grinned again, “Anyway, thanks for the presents, kid. It feels cool drinking Energon from an authentic terran glass, and Knockout here was in the medbay for like an hour, placing the mirror just right.”

“It is now placed perfectly, if you’re wondering,” the cherry red mech added smugly, his black and red optics looking at Y/n in satisfaction, “And yes, thank you indeed, doll~”

“You’re welcome, guys,” the young woman smiled warmly, a small knot in her soul untying itself now that she knew her friends liked their gifts. Good, because she spent a good amount of time and all of the money on her account to get the Decepticons she liked something that the giant alien robots could actually use.

 

Her guests then shared a look, and Y/n was about to ask what was wrong…just before Breakdown opened up his huge servo and brought it forward. On the metal palm, a literal wardrobe lay, it’s dark red lacquered wood reflecting the light of the room. The girl opened her mouth but no sound came out, so she just watched Breakdown place the wardrobe near the stairs of the porch.

 

“Go on, look in,” Knockout’s smug voice snapped her out of her stupor, and Y/n chuckled softly, touched that the two mechs bothered on her behalf.

“Guys, you really didn’t have to, I told you I was okay with just giving you presents,” the girl said as she smiled at the mechs and began walking down the stairs, the wood creaking under her feet quietly. Breakdown smirked and Knockout rolled his optics.

“ _Please_ , it s not like it was difficult or anythin’,” Breakdown said confidently, “Besides, me and Knockout, we prefer to deliver payback as swiftly as possible.”

 “That almost sounds like a threat,” Y/n raised a brow as she came up to the wardrobe, the heavy- and expensive-looking piece of furniture towering over her almost scarily.

“Come on, open it!” Knockout’s excited voice sounded from above, and Y/n threw the medic a quick amused glance before putting her hands onto the wardrobe’s handles and pulling…

 

…and immediately getting buried under a ton of clothes that poured out of the wardrobe like water though a breech in a ship’s hull.

 

Her arms came out of the pile of clothes first, then came her head, with Y/n gasping for air while both mechs laughed their afts off. The girl was fairly sure she even saw Breakdown wipe away a stray tear of optical lubricant as she finally got out from under the pile of what was undoubtedly designer clothes. Silk and cashmere and chiffon; dresses, scarves and blouses – everything looked expensive and left no doubt that it was handpicked by Knockout. If one had to be buried under a ton of clothes, this definitely wasn’t the worst kind of clothes for that, Y/n decided.

 

“So, do you like it?” Knockout asked with a final soft chuckle escaping him, his shoulder armor raising and lowering when it did, “I picked the clothes, of course, but Breakdown was the one to pick the wardrobe.”

“It’s big an’ sturdy,” the blue mech said with a nod, looking at Y/n with curiosity.

“I love it,” the young woman flashed the medic and his assistant a happy smile, genuinely flattered by the attention, “Thank you guys, you’re the best.”

“You know we are!” Breakdown exclaimed with a laugh, placing an arm around Knockout’s shoulders to which the latter smiled.

“You should put on a show for us, doll,” the cherry red mech said and Y/n noticed how he leaned into his partner’s embrace a bit as he talked. So cute. “Come on, a little fashion show never killed anybody, try on what I picked out for you~”

 

Y/n caught herself before she let a tired ‘ugh’ escape her. She wasn’t really the type to like spending hours trying out clothes in the first place, but right now, with having slept so little and being hungry, exhausted and impatient to see what the box under her tree was holding, she _really_ wasn’t in the mood for getting out of her soft, comfortable at-home clothes.

“I, eh…Can we maybe postpone that for later?” the girl asked, ready for a compromise. The mechs blinked in surprise, their optics following her as she started picked up the clothes and putting them back into the wardrobe, this time properly. Would it be rude to ask if they bought all this with Knockout’s racing money or just stole it?...Was it bad that Y/n didn’t really care too much?

 

“Aww, not in the mood to play dress up?” Knockout asked, pouting, “And how should I know what you liked the most?”

“Ah-ah, no emotional manipulation, mister,” Y/n chuckled, throwing the pair a playfully warning look that softened a moment later, “I’m sorry guys, I’m just feeling kinda tired today. I promise I’ll try everything on, all of these look so beautiful and I can’t wait to wear them.”

“Hmmmm,” the medic narrowed his optics, looking over her with scrutiny, “Now that you mention it, you do look somewhat pale.”

“Good party yesterday?” Breakdown asked, smirking, and Knockout immediately got a look in his optic that promised trouble.

“Oh, did you maybe meet someone who you spent the night with, hmm?~” he asked, and a laugh escaped Y/n, though not for the reason she was about to state.

“At my parents’ house party?”

“I don’t know, maybe some long-lost friend of the family who got rich and handsome over the years and decided to visit,” Knockout shrugged.

“…We watched an episode of some human show yesterday,” Breakdown explained flatly and Y/n nodded in understanding, both acts making the medic narrow his optics at them.

“Well _excuse me_ ,” the cherry red sportscar waved them both off with a graceful servo, “Not my fault Y/n decided to spend yesterday in such a lame manner.”

“Hey, my family’s not lame,” the girl giggled, and continued giggling from the realization of how little her friends knew and how wrong they were about how her evening and night went. The giggling developed into a full-blown laughter, and as the two Decepticons watched her in surprise, the young woman took a deep breath and quickly calmed herself.

“E-khem, sorry. So yeah, I can either sent you the pics or invite you over when I decide to try all of these cool things on,” she said, hanging the last dress and closing the wardrobe.

 

The two mechs stayed at her place for a while before deciding to leave, and as the door slid shut behind them Y/n was left satisfied with both the time they spent together and the fact that they _finally left._ Leaving the huge wardrobe outside her house(not like there was even enough space for it in the cabin), the young woman walked though the door and to the-

 

 

Her phone rang.

It was Steve.

 

 

“Hiii there,” Y/n greeted the Vehicon sweetly as she stopped in the middle of the room, mentally cursing in every language she knew, including Neocybex.

“Yo Hawkgirl, the officers leave yet?”

“Yeah...”

“Cool, then open the door, we’ll be there in like 4.5 seconds!”

 

_…Rrring!_

 

“Okay, we’re here, open up!”

“…Before we fraggin’ change our minds about this,” 079 grumbled in the background.

With a groan, the girl unlocked the door and decided that if she couldn’t open her present, she could at least finish her meal. The soup was room temperature now, but it didn’t really matter -  she took the bowl and her two and a half slices of bread before exiting the house yet again.

“Yo, Y/n, Merry Kirstmas or whatever!” Bob called out as he barged into the room, “We decided we should get you something too.”

 

 

Oh really? And what did they-?

 

 

…

 

 

They brought her an ice cream truck.

_An ice cream truck._

 

 

Y/n wasn’t sure if anyone on Earth has ever gotten an ice cream truck for Christmas, but she was sure as hell happy to get one!

 

Sure, it wasn’t the most graceful gift, and a bow on the corner of the truck didn’t hide the dents it got while the Vehicons were acquiring it BUT IT WAS A FRIGGIN’ ICE CREAM TRUCK.

The fact that there was now an ice cream truck standing in the corner of her room was so ridiculous and amazing that Y/n even forgot about her exhaustion for a while, chatting with Steve and the other Vehicons who received her gifts earlier this morning. There was actually a kind of logic behind their gift, too, since she gave them Energon candies as presents. So, sweets for sweets.

 

Only, in Y/n’s case, it was a whole ice cream truck.

 

What was even more impactful than the truck, however, was how excited the Vehicons were about receiving gifts from her. In the middle of the war, on a military ship that was commanded by the Decepticon leader himself, there wasn’t usually much attention given to these things. Sure, friends and partners sometimes gave things to each other, but to do so for a holiday was something that reminded the soldiers of Cybertron, of the times when holidays like All Spark Day were actually celebrated.

It was…not a light topic to discuss, especially with Vehicons. The overwhelming majority of them came from lower castes and so never got to properly experience many of Cybertron’s holidays…and then the war started, mechs and femmes chose sides, and since then there was no time for celebrating. Still, Y/n mused as 079 was telling everyone the story of how he once sneaked out from his factory and watched the Festival of the Primes, even now the mechs remembered the holidays of their planet. She could hear the vexation in their voices when they spoke of not being able to attend the celebrations, the sighs when they talked about how there was no time for festivals in times of war, _definitely_ not on the Decepticon flagship at least. She could see their visors flash and hear a wistful note appear in their voices when they discussed how they would like to have a good time at the Parade of Metals once the war was over and Megatron claimed Cybertron.

 

 

She should read up on Cybertronian holidays more, Y/n decided.

As soon as she opens that present under her Christmas tree and _finally_ gets some sleep.

 

 

The Vehicons left soon – everyone had work they needed to do and a human holiday was not a viable reason to skip out on that. Kody had his station on the Nemesis command bridge, Neil needed to groundbridge down to a mine and start his shift supervising the miners, 079 was scheduled to go with Neil, Bob had to sign in for his shift too – there was always enough maintenance work to be done on the warship. Steelstrike had airspace patrol duty starting soon, Brushfire, Steve and Doomtracks had combat training.

When the Decepticons left her room, it seemed so much bigger, Y/n though. Well, naturally, now that it wasn’t crowded with giant frames. The girl found it both amusing and heart-warming that she had grown to have these Vehicons as her buddies – even if Steelstrike could sometimes be an edgelord, Tracks wasn’t the brightest lightbulb in the box and Bob was sometimes so blunt Y/n wanted to hit him over the head with Megatron’s fusion cannon.

 

 

Speaking of the warlord…

 

 

Picking up the empty bowl, the girl rushed into the cabin and put the bowl into the sink. She then turned around, looking at the ribbon-adorned metal box like a predator would at its prey as she began walking towards it with determination. Finally, she could-

 

 

_Rrring!_

 

 

“Goddammit, who is it _now?!”_ the young woman exclaimed in exasperation, groaning and rolling her eyes, her patience having been worn out thin some time ago already.

Praying to a multitude of gods – Primus included – for it to be one of the Vehicons who just forgot something, the young woman made her way towards the door as she swiped her screen and unlocked the door without even looking at who it was.

 

 

So, she was surprised when she walked out onto the porch and saw Soundwave.

 

 

The communications officer walked into the room, long thin legs making calm, paced steps that sounded incredibly quiet in one were to consider Soundwave’s size and mechanical nature. As the mech kneeled in front of her house and she greeted him, Y/n couldn’t help but admire Megatron’s spymaster – his calm, fluent movements told a story without Soundwave having to utter a word. The way he carried himself had a dignity to it as well as confidence, and while Y/n wasn’t an experienced fighter, she could also see – no, _feel_ – by the way the spymaster carried himself that he was someone extremely dangerous. It wasn’t as extreme as when Megatron walked into a room, his mere presence enough to dominate everyone around him, it was a calmer yet no less dangerous… _aura_ that surrounded Soundwave. Or, well, Cybertronians called it EM fields.

Whatever one chose to call it, Soundwave had a very distinguishable, unique presence. Y/n grew used to it and by now even appreciated it…but sometimes, on rare occasions, an anxious thought (or her self-preservation instincts) made her wonder how horrifying it would be to have someone as no-nonsense, as efficient and deadly as Soundwave as an enemy.

 

 

Lucky for Y/n, Soundwave was someone who had shown to appreciate her company as much as she did his.

And, apparently, someone who brought her a present.

 

 

Long, spindly digits placed a box in front of her. It was a cardboard box, which was strange already, but it was also small, at least by Cybertronian standards, reaching maybe half a meter in length, width and height. As she looked at the box, the girl wondered to herself if someone other than Soundwave, someone who didn’t have servos that were as dexterous and as thin-digited could even handle something so small properly. 

 

She then remembered that she should probably say something.

 

“Oh, Soundwave, I- You really didn’t have to,” the young woman gave the communications officer a warm and somewhat surprised smile as she suppressed a sudden urge to fidget with her hands, “You’re so busy all the time, you didn’t need to bother on my account.”

 

The mech looked at her, his ever-present mask making it impossible for Y/n to know what the expression came to his faceplate when his optics were on her. It was fine, though, she thought. By this time, the young woman was good at observing both Laserbeak’s and Soundwave’s frame language, after all. So, when the dark-coloured mech cocked his head to the side slightly, mask catching the light of the room momentarily, the girl’s smile grew wider and she looked to the box in front of her.

“I hope you at least liked m- our present a little bit? Because I’ll feel bad if I accepted something from you after making you cringe,” she said, a nervous little laugh falling from her lips. She raised her gaze back up to look at the spymaster, his frame towering over her like some gothic work of art. Silence lingered between them as Soundwave didn’t answer for a couple of nerve-wracking seconds, after which – mercifully – the mech made text appear on the black visor of his mask:

 

[ _Y/n’s gift – accepted. Appreciated._ ]

 

Somehow, these few words made the young woman’s cheeks feel hotter and a giddy feeling rush through her soul. Secretly, aside from Megatron’s, the spymaster’s gift was the one she worried about the most. Partly because Soundwave was a no-nonsense mech and a bad gift would have probably been ignored or discarded, and partly because he was Megatron’s friend. As far as Y/n knew – the warlord’s oldest and only friend. And, of course, there was also the fact that Y/n had to sort through a bunch of gigabytes of music, and that was days, _weeks_ worth of work and thought. So now, knowing that Soundwave accepted and _appreciated_ it, Y/n breathed out a sigh of relief, a happy smile forming on her lips and her shoulders relaxing a bit.

 

“I’m glad to hear that, Soundwave,” she said, her voice quiet both because of the sense of relief and because of exhaustion. She knew the mech heard her perfectly anyway.

The communications officer nodded, and then a thin index digit pushed the box a bit closer to Y/n, the sound of cardboard sliding on wood reminding the girl of packing up winter stuff for the summer as a child. The memory vanished as quickly as it came, and she chuckled as she got on her haunches in front of the box, looking over where it was taped-over in the middle of the top side.

“I have no idea what it is yet, but thank you already, really,” the young woman said softly, a smile playing on her lips as she swept over the top of the box with her palm, her e/c eyes looking over it. Soundwave stayed silent, but she could feel him watching her.

 

Usually, people needed those boxcutter knives to open something like this, Y/n mused. Then again, most people weren’t descendants of strange alien experiments.

 

Her nails were neat and nicely painted, and – apparently - enough to easily puncture the cardboard. Watching her hands move with both surprise and amusement, the young woman dragged her index and middle finger down the centre of the box, effortlessly dragging away the tape.  She then grabbed the two cardboard halves of the top side and easily opened the box, the tape that was still holding it closed tearing immediately.

Damn, if not even duct tape could stop her, she was a force to be reckoned with, an absentminded sleepy thought came to her. Y/n smirked to herself, her attention then immediately shifting back to what was in the box. First thing she saw was a layer of sponge-like plastic foam, grey with sparkling particles. So, it’s something that needed to be cushioned, the girl thought as she grabbed the foam, it sliding out of the box easily in one big piece. She’d usually put it beside herself carefully, but right now she just threw the thing over her head without a care, her eyes already focused on the smaller, labelled box inside.

 

“No…” Y/n whispered, throwing a glance up at Soundwave, who was still motionless and watching her. The young woman looked back down and dove into the box, anxious to get her present out, “It is!”

The smaller box, now in her hands, was pushed to her chest as Y/n practically glowed with glee, throwing her head back and giving the communications officer a huge grin.

“How- Where did you get this? I mean, it’s not even on the market yet- Oh well of course that wouldn’t stop you, though!”

Excited e/c eyes darted from Soundwave to the present and back, and Y/n couldn’t help but laugh breathily.

“Did you really remember me talking about how I wanted a new gaming laptop? Or was I that annoying that you remembered?”

The mech didn’t answer but he didn’t nod either, so the young woman just giggled, eyeing her new toy with satisfaction now that the flash of childish glee had passed.

“Thank you, Soundwave,” Y/n said warmly as her eyes settled on where she presumed the officer’s optics would be. She sometimes wondered what color his optics were – red, like those of most Decepticons? Yellow, like Breakdown’s? Blue? Green? Purple? She could probably ask Megatron, but would it really be the right thing to do? Maybe, someday, she would. Until then, she decided that whatever color optics the dark mech possessed, that she was successful in looking into them to get across to him how grateful she was.

The spymaster was unmoving, silent as he supposedly held her gaze, before finally nodding and flashing a message on his mask:

 

[ _You are welcome, Y/n._ ]

 

Silence, yet again, lingered between them, and Y/n appreciated these kinds of quiet moments that being in the company of Soundwave provided. She looked a bit lower, to the spymaster’s chassis, smiling to herself at the sight of Laserbeak, the minicon blending in perfectly with Soundwave’s armor. When the mech stood up and nodded once more, the young woman couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit sad at the thought of him leaving. Laserbeak was the one who usually visited, so it was nice having Soundwave over, especially with the communications officer’s presence not being as loud and…taxing as those of the other crew members. Still, she subconsciously perked up at the prospect of finally being able to open the present that waited for her under the Christmas tree, and then _finally_ rest. Her eyelids were getting heavier just thinking about it.

She thanked Soundwave again before wishing him a nice day, and once the silent mech left and Y/n was left alone, she just stood there for a moment, as if making sure that no one would bang on her door again. But the room was silent, blissfully silent, so the young woman took a deep breath and breathed out a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying her well-earned peace. Honestly, she was expecting most of the mechs to whom she gave gifts to just accept them without the need to reciprocate. Well, the Vehicons almost did that, Steve and Kody were the ones to pull the others into searching for a gift – but still! She honestly expected to just get money from Knockout, if anything at all, but a whole wardrobe of clothes was more personal gift, and Y/n liked that a lot more – even if she already spotted few things that were _way_ too revealing for her to ever wear comfortably. Well, she could maybe wear them at home, for Megatron.

 

 

_Megatron._

_The gift._

 

 

The girl took another breath. Nothing happened. She turned around, put her hand on the handle. Nothing happened. She walked into the cabin, closed the door. Still, nothing. So far so good. Honestly, everyone she gave a present to already visited her, logically speaking she had nothing to fear… _Still._ She walked further into the room, the carpet making her footsteps soundless, and placed the box with the laptop in it on the table. As much as she wanted to power up the latest product in gaming right now, it would have to wait. She wanted to open the box under the tree _a lot_ more.

 

In the complete, soothing silence of her cabin, the young woman walked up to the Christmas tree and kneeled in front of it, reaching out to the box. She took it, the cool metal pleasant to her skin, and then placed it on her lap, looking over it carefully. Shoebox-sized, the container was a light silver color and the engravings on it somehow combined geometrical shapes and swirly patterns in a manner that looked distinct and beautiful in a truly new, alien way. The girl lightly traced her finger over one of the shapes until she touched the ribbon. A silk ribbon, royal red in color, with a large bow – it looked strange on a box like this, Y/n thought to herself. Strange, yet somehow endearing, because it meant that the one who left her this gift actually bothered to make it resemble Earth presents. And, knowing who it was – and his attitude towards most humans and their culture – that gesture meant all the more.

Carefully, Y/n pulled on the ribbon, the material loosening, the bow untying itself with a soft swishing sound, silk falling onto the girl’s lap and staying there like a lazy crimson snake. The box gleamed in the light of the room, and the young woman saw the thin line where its lid ended, putting her hand onto the cool metal surface as she got ready to open her gift. She already knew whatever she got from the warlord wasn’t huge, and she quietly thanked him in her thoughts for that. The young woman was very aware that, if he wanted to, the Decepticon lord could have easily acquired things that were huge in size or large in numbers like the Vehicons or her friends from the medbay. But he chose to go with something less grand in scale, and the aesthetic of being able to actually take her present from under her Christmas tree wasn’t lost on Y/n.

So she sat there, in the comforting silence of the place that she grew to know as her home, and looked at the box, finally being able to take her time. The carpet was soft under her legs, the fleece touching the exposed skin of her feet between where her pants ended and her slippers began. The fir tree she sat next to smelled like Christmas, and nostalgia and – just a little – like sap, the ornaments on the tree gleaming and glittering. Y/n traced a few engravings with her fingers, taking a mental note to ask the warlord if it meant anything or if it was some traditional or common design for gifts. The box, being made of metal, felt firm and secure, and its weight was one that had a prescense, one that she could clearly feel as it lay on her lap.

 

Finally, the young woman put her hand onto the lid of the box and slowly opened it, subconsciously holding her breath as she did…

 

 

 

*******

 

 

When Megatron’s holomatter avatar appeared on Y/n’s doorstep, he didn’t immediately walk in, instead listening closely and looking at the wooden door, the metal handle gleaming in the light of the room faintly. It was quiet inside, and the warlord wondered if his lover was still asleep. After all, he did tire her out…considerably the night before.

A momentary, barely noticeable smirk appeared on the mechs lipplates, smug satisfaction flashing in his crimson optics at the memory of the night - of him enjoying Y/n’s intoxicating touches, of him claiming every inch of her as his own over and over as she writhed in pleasure, his name on her lips.

 

And, come morning, he found his name on a festively wrapped box.

 

 

**~**

 

 

It was Christmas, after all. Y/n loved Christmas.

 

As he looked at the present, the warlord wondered how much effort it took to wrap a container of this size for someone as small as Y/n. He also wondered how she pulled it off without him seeing the present anywhere in her room. He mused about the fact that it probably wasn’t easy to find materials to make a traditional Christmas-looking present on a scale that suited a cybertronian, that of his frame no less. He wondered if she had help, maybe Soundwave? Then again, Y/n wasn’t the type to inconvenience anyone for something that could be considered a whim of hers. As his digits easily did away with the wrappings, the mech was met with the sight of a metal container that was clearly cybertronian. Probably acquired through a barter with Knockout, a brief thought crossed the warlord’s processor as he examined it closer.

The box was big enough that it comfortably fit in both his servos, and once more the steel-coloured wondered how long it took Y/n to wrap it true to human standards only for it to look nicely for that brief moment when he found it. Still, if she was aiming to make an impression, she certainly did. And, truth be told, there really was a certain unique feeling about not only opening a gift box, but unwrapping it beforehand.

 

 

Small things, Y/n always said, it’s the small things that make the difference. She might be onto something there, the warlord mused to himself as he opened the box.

 

 

His servos, huge deadly weapons that took the sparks of so many bots without hesitation, flinched. Or maybe they didn’t, but it felt like they did, Megatron wasn’t sure anymore. His immediate reaction was to take what was inside, and his spark thrummed in his chassis heavily, making him hear its pulse in his audials so clearly that it overshadowed the quiet scream that his subconscious directed at him. Something somewhere deep in the shadow his consciousness desperately screamed at him to _close the box, put it away, because it wasn’t meant for someone like him._ But the mech was too busy looking at his present, taking it out and inspecting it; his spark was beating too wildly and his processor was too busy thinking of his lover, so that shriek went unnoticed, showing itself only as that momentary feeling of twitching of the warlord’s servos, forgotten as quickly as it happened.

 

It was a datapad. No, not like that. It was a _custom datapad_ , one that bore similarity to older models that would usually bear a well-pronounced frame around the holomatter display. This frame, currently hollow as the display was deactivated, was gold in color and the engravings on it were of such fine work that it left no doubt that they were done with small, precise human hands. Crimson optics focused on the engravings, and the more the warlord looked over them, the more his spark ached – nothing that was cut into the datapad’s frame was accidental.

The top half of the frame was covered in stars, stylized in a way Megatron had seen humans often do it – as pointy, crystal-like shapes. The stars varied in size and the depth that they were engraved into the metal, and the mech easily recognized the constellations as those that could be seen from Earth’s Northern hemisphere. Ursa Major and Minor, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Perseus, Aries…This _had_ to have taken a lot of time for someone as small as Y/n was, especially with how there were even smaller patterns inside every star in those constellations. A familiar pattern adorned the lower half of the frame, and it took a moment for Megatron to recognize them as patterns that somehow captured the general look that his armor plating had. The detail of the work was astounding – and incredibly flattering – and as soon as he recognized the source of inspiration, the warlord could easily see places where the engravings recreated his armor patterns perfectly. As he held the golden frame in his left servo, the digits of his right one carefully tracing the engravings, his optics zoomed in and looked over every detail, his spark caught in a strange state of pleasant shock.

He had been given much grander gifts – usually weapons, precious materials or useful inventions – but nothing as…personal as a custom-made datapad. Closest anybody ever got  was Soundwave, who knew the Decepticon leader’s preferred high-grade mixture and his usual reading material and, as such, usually presented gifts based on that.

 

But this. This was something Megatron really never knew he would appreciate until he got it.

 

He finally decided to switch on the thing, and as the small holoscreen appeared inside the golden frame, the mech’s optics widened in surprise. Instead of the usual purple of the Nemesis’ stations or the standard green of most datapads, he was now staring at a black holomatter screen. The hieroglyphs were in a light grey that didn’t clash with the black like a pristine white would.

 

‘Black. Or grey. Or gold,’ he had once told her, when speaking about his favourite colors.

That was _months_ ago. Apparently, Y/n remembered.

 

The datapad in his servos now looked nothing like his standard ones, the ones he used for work or self-education. It looked different from the datapads he used for his free-time reading material, too. The look of it, the feel of it in his servos – everything immediately made it clear that this was a datapad meant not for work, but for leisure. For _his_ leisure, for the times that he could rest.

Where and how was the gold acquired? How long did it take to make this, for Y/n to be finished with all the engravings? And what are those files?

 

Some of his favourite pieces of literature, at least those that he had shared with Y/n, that’s what. Also, a small file by the name of ‘To Megatron’. The warlord opened it without a second thought, crimson optics reading through the short message that looked like it was actually written with a stylus, the rounded edges of the symbols immediately giving away his lover’s handwriting. It was strange and somehow exciting to read Y/n’s message that was in Neocybex – while he knew that she could easily read the language, he somehow did not think of the possibility of her writing in it. And so he read, easily imagining the young woman’s voice as he did:

 

 

_Dear Megatron,_

_You didn’t think I would leave you without a present, did you? I’m not sure if you remember, but we had a conversation some time ago about how diverse human books are and how it was once similarly so on Cybertron, too. I know this one isn’t as exquisite or rich in decorations as those that the senators of the past probably used to have, but I hope you will find a use for it._

_I hope it reminds you to take the time and rest when you need it. I know you are a very busy mech, I know your time is precious, but so is your wellbeing. A breem or two with a personal datapad and some tea of the glowing blue kind can work wonders sometimes._

_Thank you for spending this Christmas with me, and thank you for everything that you have done for me. I appreciate it more than you can imagine._

_Yours,_

_Y/n_

 

**~**

 

 

 

His.

 

Truly, if he ever wanted to call anyone his, it was Y/n, Megatron thought as he still stared at the door. His smugness was now gone, replaced with an appreciation so deep that it could be almost felt physically, insistently pushing on the walls of his spark chamber from within.

It would never come into question again, whether he deserved her or not, the warlord was sure of it this time. She was what he wanted – and so she would be his, the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and ‘honourable’ did not matter to him, his subconscious be damned. His lover was indeed an anomaly – an anomaly among humans, an anomaly when it came to her claiming a place in his spark so quickly and so naturally that it would be laughable if it wasn’t borderline terrifying. The cynic in him whispered that, if the Decepticon cause required it, he would always choose it over Y/n – he was the leader, he had his home planet to reclaim and enemies to crush. His spark, however, drowned the whisper out with the notion that Y/n’s prescense was beneficial enough and he himself was a force mighty enough for that choice to never take place. _Wishful thinking at its finest._

Currently, Megatron did not care – he was too busy wondering if what he left under Y/n’s tree made his lover happy. After the gift she gave him, his previous assuredness in that it would had wavered, shaken by his lover’s truly impressive attention to detail and care for him.

 

A ping on his comm made the sized-down mech snap out of his thoughts. The message was from Y/n, of all people.

_Y/n: When someone of your impressive stature appears on the porch, the old wooden boards give a tell-tale creak._

 

 

Ah. Well then.

 

 

The thought of being caught nibbled at his ego like a half-interested scraplet would, but the warlord dismissed the momentary feeling, instead finally opening the door to find the young woman standing up from the floor. A necklace adorned her delicate neckline, the young woman’s favourite gemstones shining brightly and only accentuating the beauty of her e/c eyes.

As he walked in, he wanted to say something – either a greeting, a compliment or an expression of gratitude. But when a small, graceful hand touched the center of his chassis, the bracelet of the same design as the necklace hanging on his lover’s thin wrist, he couldn’t find anything better than to express himself the best way he knew how – through his actions.

 

And by the way Y/n answered his kiss a moment later, he knew that wasn’t wrong in doing that.

 

 

*******

 

“I had miner friends that owed me a favour, remember?” Y/n giggled in reply to his question as her back was pressed to his chassis, the both of them currently in bed and the girl already half-asleep. After hearing about the morning she had so far, the Decepticon lord insisted they lay down. And, well, when Megatron insisted on something it was unwise to say no…Not that Y/n would want to resist in the first place.

“Ah, them. Of course,” the mech mused, his long, dangerous digits playing with a strand of her hair.

“You sometimes sound like you forget that they exist,” Y/n joked sleepily, her eyelids getting heavier by the second, her lover’s deep, amused hum serving to only further soothe her. Her gaze drifted towards the bedside counter where her breathtakingly beautiful jewellery was, a silk midnight-black scarf next to it, the smallest of diamonds scattered across it much like stars above the Nemesis whenever Y/n and her lover would go out to the warship’s roof to stargaze.

 “Sleep, Y/n,” the warlord all but purred into her ear, and the girl couldn’t help but obediently close her eyes, turning her head and nuzzling into the mech’s chassis trustingly, earning herself a soft rumbling sound that she could not so much hear as feel as it reverberated in Megatron’s chassis.

It was the last thing she remembered before allowing her consciousness to finally go dark, slipping into a deep slumber easily, feeling perfectly safe and content as Megatron watched over her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was the last chapter of winter! I hope you enjoyed this ridiculously long chapter, next one will be shorter;D
> 
> Actually, the next chapter will be a Birthday chapter! Which may or may not have smut....It will have smutXD
> 
> See ya then! <3


	40. So...

 

 

Sooo....

 

 

First of all, allow me to apologize for the lack of updates! I have not abandoned the story, in fact, the whole time while my comatose laptop was holding the chapters i had already written prisoner, I've been oldschool-writing notes for later chapters in notebooks. (There's _a lot_ of notes by now.)

 

So, now. Where have I been? Studying, mostly. University tends to be a little more difficult when your laptop decides to die and the Bluetooth keyboard to your tablet is in another country because you forgot it there like a stupid personXD

Now, I'm sure the question that is more important is _'Where in the pits of Kaon has UYA been???!'_

Well. It was here:

 

 

But! A couple of days ago, it moved to here!

 

 

 

So do you know what that means? Well, it means I haven't slept for like three days going over stuff and editing it. But it ALSO means all new chapters of UYA are coming out!

How many chapters do I owe you guys? Will you find it in your hearts and sparks to forgive me if I give you eight chapters at once?   


 

Minor spoiler: There's a lot of fluff.

Minor spoiler #2: Enjoy it while it lasts, after these eight chapters you'll get +- 5 more chapters of some good times. But, until then, enjoy dating the sexy mech who is _totally not lying to you about anything._

 

 

**So yes. We are back! I hope you all are having a wonderful winter-time and I've missed everyone so much!**

**Also, while a little late, I wanted to wish all of you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! More importantly, Optimus and Megatron wanted to give you their well-wishes as well ;D**

  
  


 

 


	41. A Worldwide Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n spends her NewYear's celebration in a very unique way. Knockout is to blame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised a Birthday chapter and you'll get a two-parter for it right after this. Because it feels appropriate. Happy 2018! :D

 

 

 

One would wonder how someone who lived as uniquely as Y/n celebrated the New Year, if at all. Truth be told, if it was left to her or her lover it would have probably ended in a quiet highgrade evening in the warlord’s quarters. Y/n’s friends from the medbay had other plans, however.

 

Immediately upon hearing that the celebration of the New Year is a reason for most of the planet to have grand parties, Knockout – obviously – wanted to attend said parties. Megatron hadn’t expressed any enthusiasm in celebrating another human holiday since he had just participated in Christmas celebrations earlier, so Y/n was not faced with much a choice whether to spend the holiday with him or the couple from the medbay. The steel-coloured mech was planning on working the evening away anyway. Really, she was glad she had the opportunity to have some fun with Knockout and Breakdown, especially if it involved travelling. Loud parties were where Knockout thrived mostly, but knowing Breakdown would be there too brought Y/n assuredness that she would have someone to sit at the bar and share jokes with while Knockout was stealing the spotlight. And that actually sounded like a good time where everyone had fun. There was only one detail the young woman hadn’t considered. When Knockout said that he wanted to attend some major New Year parties, he meant _all of the parties_. Which meant jumping from time zone to time zone, further and further west until it was the 1 st of January everywhere in the world. Secretly, Y/n wondered if this – the ability to visit parties and high-class events all around the world - was why Knockout had recently tried his hardest in trying to bypass the 400-mile limit on the holomatter generators. A holomatter avatar could function up to at least 400 miles away from the controlling bot. That is, until recently. Attaching a ‘booster’, as he called it, to the device, Knockout expanded the area of effect significantly. That is, it now covered almost the entirety of Earth’s surface. It had its limitations, though. The booster was still a new invention and would overheat if used for too long and for really far away. At its farthest from the Nemesis, the holomatter avatar could now safely function for about 3.5 hours. Still, it was invaluable – especially since now Y/n could travel to almost any place on Earth with Megatron or her friends, even for just a relatively short while. It was how Megatron got to spend Christmas eve with her family, after all. And it was how Knockout’s crazy time zone-party-hopping plan was possible to carry out.

 

Starting with drinking cocktails while watching the fireworks in Sydney, the trio then moved to Tokyo, where they immediately became popular among the locals thanks to their unusual appearance. Knockout revelled in the attention, Y/n and Breakdown were thankful for the compliments and food. They then ‘bridged to Beijing, where the celebrations – while not as grand as for the Chinese New Year – were loud and fun, red and gold confetti and glitter covering them so significantly that Y/n had to go to her cabin for a change of clothes before their next stop. Knockout then declared that there was a new rule – an outfit change every couple of time zones. As time would show, he was very serious about enforcing that rule. Y/n had a sneaking suspicion that he just liked seeing her in different outfits, much like a child likes dressing up their doll. Then again, she wasn’t against it, really – she had a bunch of expensive evening clothes that she had yet to wear anywhere, and she now had both an occasion and very fitting company to do that with. Breakdown was the only one of the trio not into frequent outfit changes - it did require considerable concentration and practice to do that with a holomatter avatar, after all, but he did muster up enough will to change his shirt every so often. And the look of pride and delight Knockout got on his face every time his partner did that was a precious sight. New Delhi greeted them with celebrations that were filled with color and dance, and Y/n could appreciate time spent just dancing the hour away in good company until they had to jump to their next destination. Dubai was bright and rich and Knockout was in love with all the extravagant ways the local millionaires showed their wealth while Y/n enjoyed her cocktail and the view from the 828 meter-tall Burj Khalifa – the tallest structure in the world. Moscow was cold and beautiful, the red Kremlin stars glowing almost as if by magic while the trio watched the fireworks from the Red Square. The party they attended afterward ended with Breakdown wanting to return sometime, apparently he got on well with the locals. Helsinki was remembered for the snowball fight Y/n and Breakdown started outside the club, Berlin – for the rivers of beer, the jolly locals singing almost anywhere one went and beautiful street decorations. Rome now would be associated with the time the three of them just walked through one big fun party as the people around them celebrated, drinking and dancing and laughing on the narrow streets.

Paris was full of beautiful lights that were hung above the streets, white and blue shining snowflakes throwing their light onto the beautiful buildings of France’s capital. Said capital was also full of VIP parties. As Knockout was pulling Breakdown into yet another high-end place by the hand, Y/n started wondering if maybe she should somehow find a way to return to the Nemesis – while all of this was undoubtedly fun, the girl wondered how much more social interaction and loud music she could experience before it grew tiresome for someone who wasn’t a social butterfly. London was where, somehow, she felt inclined to continue with the whole affair until the end. Maybe it was her getting back into a partying mood. Maybe it was the delicious tea that the incredibly nice bartender made for her and that she enjoyed as she sat on the roof of the club and watched the city celebrate. Or maybe it was the fact that Knockout and Breakdown literally started a barfight just because they thought she was ‘not entertained enough’. She was not sure she would ever tell Megatron of the time she threw a man out of a second-floor window for trying to stab Breakdown with a fork. At least she left a stack of bills and an apology note in the cash register.

Madrid, Brasilia and the Bahamas passed by in a flash, so much so that – while passing from groundbridge to groundbridge – Y/n actually ended up in New York with a hollowed-out Pina Colada-filled pineapple and a flower crown she acquired on the islands. Knockout and Breakdown were no better, however, and the three of them were quite the sight when they appeared in a club looking like that. Needless to say, Knockout loved the attention that got him. After that was Ottawa, where now all three of them participated in a snowball fight that was started by the locals because of Knockout’s off-handed (and snobbish) remarks. Miami was where they got to warm up and visit someone’s fancy party on a private beach. Y/n had no idea who the host was, but she was thankful for the cocktail she was handed immediately upon arrival – even if, by this point, she couldn’t look at food or drink anymore. Her hair still not fully dry from swimming in the ocean, Y/n found herself in New Orleans. Cajun accent still ringing in her ears, she was already subjected Knockout’s and Breakdown’s antics in Mexico, the two not passing up the opportunity to put a sombrero on her head. It was a ridiculously big one too, with rainbow dingle balls. Breakdown notified her that he took pictures. Los Angeles - more specifically, Hollywood - was where Knockout felt as comfortable as a fish in water, and where Y/n gathered the last of her mental strength to try and have fun and appreciate the party around her. Which wasn’t too difficult to do, really. She ended up using her proxy ability and sneaking up to some of her favourite movie stars just to look at them up close for a moment. She wasn’t one for autographs and celebrities were just people as well after all, so she didn’t want to bother them. But she still allowed herself to set up brief, seemingly accidental interactions with a couple of her favourite actors and musicians. Nothing they would remember, but it was nice to just smile at them and wish them a happy New Year. Funnily, Y/n got to meet some of them a second time – having introduced himself as a plastic surgeon and using his charm, Knockout managed to somehow find his way into any group of people he wanted. Being called over to join a group conversation by Knockout and seeing Robert Downey Jr. blink in surprise, then genuinely smile and say ‘Oh, I think we’ve met already! Hey!’ was probably the highlight of Y/n’s time on the western coast of the US.

 

The Hawaiian Islands were the last stop, the three of them greeting the new year while sitting at a bar on the beach, raising their glasses at each other as the crowd began cheering when the clock struck 00:00. They were at an outdoor bar, with torches keeping the darkness at bay but still not enough to defer anyone from seeing the brilliantly bright stars in the captivatingly, endlessly black sky. The sand gave just the faintest shimmer in the orange and yellow light and music was playing from all around, it seemed.

Y/n was in Knockout’s arms currently, the doctor having found out she used to dance and insisted she teach him the basics of the more passionate dances. He was a surprisingly fast-learning mech, too,  turning the tables on her in no time - taking the lead and coming up with fun improvisations on the fly. And as he twirled her, let her take a step away from him and then brought her back to him by tugging at her hand gently, her upper body was now pressed to his chest in a way that would make almost anyone envious. Y/n couldn’t help but chuckle, smiling at the alien in amusement as she spoke:

“You’re a fast learner, doctor.”

“Well what can I say, doll, I’ve had a very good teacher. Surprisingly flexible too,” Knockout grinned at her with a note of smugness, his cognac eyes turning to a familiar black-and-ruby for a second, “And I do like to learn fast so I can take my time _enjoying_ a skill that I’ve just mastered.”

 _“Mastered,”_ Y/n raised her eyebrow at the cockiness of her dance partner as they swayed their hips to the music, the Italian-looking man’s hand resting on the small of her back.

“No? Wouldn’t you say I did?” the medic mirrored her expression before turning them around and swiftly leaning down, dipping Y/n back. As she hovered above the sand, nothing but Knockout’s arm to support her, the young woman gave a small, breathy laugh before hooking her leg around the man’s thigh, making him hum in amusement. Maybe her friend was a master at being suave and sexy, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of looking like a plank of wood compared to him. 

“Okay, okay, you’re very good at it. Teach me some Cybertronian dances sometime?” the girl asked as she reached out and playfully readjusted a strand of her dance partner’s auburn hair, and he gave her a smile that was too charming to be legal.

“Gladly, doll. Anytime,” he replied, bringing her back up and turning them again, the sand making a kind of quiet squeaking sound under their feet from it being so quick. The torchlight cast a warm, golden light onto the man and made it seem like embers were glowing in his eyes. Truly, a marvellous sight. Y/n nodded before taking the initiative in the dance once more, leading the two of them just so they almost reached the bar counter.

“Twirl me?” Y/n asked playfully and Knockout happily obliged, already suspecting she was up to something. As soon the man lifted his arm, the young woman twirled, simultaneously taking a step back and reached out with her free hand. Immediately, a chuckle was heard.

“Ya two having fun?” a handsome barrel-chested caramel-skinned man asked, looking at the drink that Y/n snatched from his hand and then at the both of them with a grin.

“Nah, we’re making a deal,” Y/n smirked, her other hand now freed by a very amused Knockout, which she immediately used to take Breakdown by his huge, warm hand and pull him from his seat at the bar. Before the man could react, the young woman was already in his seat, sipping his drink and lightly nudging him in the back with her bare foot.

“I get to be lazy, Knockout gets his preferred dance partner,” she said, looking at the men with a smile that clearly told them that she was intent at chilling out for the foreseeable future.

Breakdown tried to argue but it wasn’t convincing at all, not when he was grinning like a high schooler that was asked to dance by his crush. And Knockout had the most satisfied expression of them all, not letting go of his partner once he got a hold of him. As the doctor dragged his assistant away to dance, the young woman crossed her legs and watched them for a while, her gaze warm and even somewhat admiring. Hundreds of years of being together and still like this? _Adorable._ Later, Y/n took to chance to walk a fair distance away from the party, finding a row of wooden reclining chairs on the shore and sitting down in one. As she did, she took a deep breath and sank her toes into the sand, glad to have had such an undeniably unique and incredible experience but also feeling satisfied that it was finally over. Small waves washed over the shore quietly, the sound relaxing Y/n while the dulled, but still perfectly audible sounds of the party made her hope that her friends were having fun over there. While her body was more than capable of handling all these events and much, much more, the young woman was almost completely drained mentally, even if it was tiredness of the good kind.

 

She returned home soon after, looking over the mess that was her living room - all the clothes and shoes she had changed between time zones were on the couch, floor or chairs, all the souvenirs she had intentionally or accidentally brought back were scattered about – there was very little time whenever Knockout brought her back onto the ship to change, so this was the inevitable result. It was very early morning for the crew of the Nemesis – not that it really mattered, most crew members didn’t have their shifts changed depending on whether it was day or night in the particular time zone the Nemesis was currently in – and Y/n was already in bed by the time an idea hit her. While she was undoubtedly tired – of social interaction especially – there was one being on the ship whose company always reinvigorated her. And so, she got up once again, slipped into something comfortable and put on her wings.

 

To say that Megatron was not expecting to see her that morning would be an understatement, but, judging by the warlord’s expression, he was quite pleased with her delivering him a hot blue beverage to start off his first day in the new terran stellar cycle. She couldn't witness it, but he was even more pleased when she ended up falling asleep curled up in her chair that stood on the Decepticon lord's desk. 

 

 

 

 


	42. A Special Day (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Y/n's Birthday and things do not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The promised Birthday chapter, finally! Part 1. Part 2 will be aaaall Megatron >;D

 

“You were _where_ for New Years?!” the pink-haired girl sitting across Y/n asked, her greyish blue eyes doubling in size as she leaned back slightly in surprise before immediately leaning forward, elbows firmly planted on the table the two friends were currently having brunch at.

“Party in Dubai,” Y/n repeated, smiling at the young woman’s reaction. She then quietly sighed, remembering how the day actually went. ‘Eventful’ would be putting it lightly. Amazing, unforgettable - yes. But still tiring, even if she loved it.

“Oh yeah, Y/n, sit here in front of me and _sigh_ ,” her friend frowned overdramatically, “You could have let me go in your place, since you hate parties soooo much.”

“I don’t _hate_ parties,” Y/n rolled her eyes, chuckling, then taking a moment to think her statement over, “Okay, I don’t hate _all_ parties. Sometimes. I loved the New Year’s party, okay?”

“You haven’t changed at all,” the young woman sitting across the table smirked knowingly, her gaze warming up as her tone became a bit less playful, “I’m glad you’re traveling, Y/n, you’ve always liked that. Remember when you and Arthur wanted to build a raft and travel the world?”

“Oh, I remember well,” Y/n replied, her eyes creasing up as she grinned, “Remember when you said you’d marry Arthur so he’d take you with us?”

“Oh my God, _please_ don’t remind me of my 8-year-old self,” the girl slipped her hands under her black-framed glasses and covered her eyes, shaking her head as Y/n chuckled. It was nice to talk to a childhood friend. Y/n hadn’t seen her for a long time and it was uplifting to see that – even though they did not see each other often these days – there still was enough common ground and friendship there to keep the meetings pleasant and interesting. However long ago things happened, both Y/n and her friend wanted to know about them. And Y/n’s New Year celebration certainly seemed to impress, even if it what was disclosed was only a small part of the full story.

 

“Ladies,” a waiter appeared next to the table, setting a plate down onto the table, “Bon Appetit. And congratulations on your Birthday, miss.”

On the plate was a portion of sushi – the number of pieces was the amount Y/n was turning today and each had a tiniest candle sticking out of it. Quite the display.

“This is ridiculous. I love it,” Y/n said, a big grin appearing on her face.

“Though ya would,” her friend smirked smugly, “Since you’re sooo busy for the rest of the day, I decided to make our brunch memorable.”

“You certainly did,” Y/n replied with a breathy laugh.

“Okay-okay, now make a wish and blow the candles out, I wanna give you your present!”

 

The brunch went as smoothly as possible and by the time Y/n was on her merry way to a secluded part of the city where a groundbridge could be comfortably opened for her, she excitedly played out in her mind how the rest of the day would go. Megatron wanted to take her somewhere in the evening since he had things to attend to during the day and Knockout and Breakdown told her they had something planned for when she came back, so she would probably be busy all day…

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

_This was **not** what she had in mind when she thought she’d be busy all day._

 

 

Instinctively squinting as cold dilated Energon spurted onto her protective mask and quickly wiping it off the clear plastic surface with the sleeve of her white jumpsuit, Y/n resumed her work, stapling shut the primary coolant line and then beginning to cauterize it properly. Overheating was something that would take this Vehicon’s life right now. With his arm literally torn off up to the shoulder assembly and a hole punched though the centre of the abdominal plating, the mech’s body had already gone into stasis lock – a form of protective shutdown, switching off all non-life-essential systems to conserve what little energy and Energon was left, giving him at least _some_ chance to survive this. It was a wonder that the only thing irreparably damaged was the T-Cog – and of those, thankfully, Knockout had enough spares. The medic was currently installing the new organ and it was essential they work in synch – once he would remove the locking chip, the Vehicon’s body would immediately start rebooting and self-repairing, and Y/n wouldn’t want to have her arms stuck between reactivating mechanical organs at that moment.

 

“When?” the red mech’s steady voice sounded from behind and above her, and Y/n glanced over her work to give him an accurate answer.

“About 3 minutes. I need to make sure.”

“You better, I’m not wasting time on this guy again,” Knockout hmphed and it was meant only half-jokingly.

 

 

 _Of course_ the Autobots would attack an Energon mine on her Birthday.

 

 

Y/n still had no idea what exactly happened and what the outcome was – she was crawling in mechanical guts since she returned to the ship and there wasn’t exactly time to chat with anybody aside from the occasional remark to the doctor or his assistant. She hoped her friends were okay. She knew Megatron was okay – that’s the only piece of information she had time to request of Knockout while she was putting on her jumpsuit. Everyone else, well, she tried not to think of it now – it would only distract her from helping, and the last thing she wanted to do was to be the reason why someone died today. If they weren’t an Autobot, of course. Oh, she’d like to be the cause of an Autobot death right about now. But even thoughts of getting back at Prime’s soldiers were chased away by the young woman – emotions had no place in the operating room, not if she wanted to work efficiently.

Soon, she was already putting on her wings and flying over to another patient. This one was less difficult - Y/n already had experience with severed fuel lines. A lot of experience, actually. The only difference was that these were near the mech’s spark chamber, so as her side was pressed to the left wall of said chamber she could clearly feel his very soul pulsing next to her. Pulsing rather rapidly, too, reminding her of the time she was crawling around and removing shrapnel and rubble from Brushfire’s chassis.

“Calm down,” the girl spoke, her voice even as she concentrated on her work, “I’ve done this before.”

“Yeah?” came a voice from above her, the mech groaning – she wasn’t sure if it was because of her work or because of the Vehicon’s disgust with her, “So that mech offline now?”

“Hope not. Seen him yesterday, at least,” Y/n replied, wiping away some Energon from a fuel line with a rag and then tucking said rag back under the belt of her jumpsuit before beginning to solder a small scratch the excess fluid was hiding. Small damage like this could heal by itself with time, the cybetronian’s self-repair protocols taking care of it eventually. But it was only 30 seconds of additional work that would save this mech the unnecessary discomfort and – for all Y/n knew – he could be ordered to go into battle again soon. Climbing out of the mech, she glanced back at him and spared a quick half-smile. Being conscious for an operation such as this, with something small and alien wiggling inside of one’s body – that must be quite the stressful experience. Y/n tried to always remember that and give at least minimal kindness where she could spare some. Even if it was just a brief reassuring smile before the girl had to hurry to the next patient.

“Knockout will close you up soon,” she informed before hurrying away to her wings that were placed on the edge of the operating table, a sizeable toolkit in her hand. It was much easier to help out when she had some proper tools, as well as clothing that protected her from at least getting Energon, oil and other fluids all over herself.

 

However, the clothing _didn’t_ protect her from situations where someone would move too suddenly and make a jagged edge of some metal shrapnel stick right into her right forearm and drag down, leaving a wound that was bone-deep.  She screamed out for a moment before she gritted her teeth to stifle the rest of the scream, making it sound more like a wounded animals’ whine. That was very much enough for her friends to notice that something happened.

 

“Doll? You okay there?” Knockout’s voice came from her earpiece this time - he was currently across the room, operating on another patient.

“Yeah…Yeah!” she replied, half-shouting and tasting iron in her mouth as she took the shrapnel out of her arm, then taking deep breaths as rivers of dark red blood gushed out of the wound and flowed down her forearm, dripping onto the Vehicon’s metal internals. Dark red blood and the way it flowed down in rich but steady rivers meant the damage was done to her vein and not to the artery, so at least there would be no spray-painting the mech’s insides red. This should close soon, she could already feel the familiar tingling, almost itching feeling of her body repairing itself as she instinctively clutched her arm to her chest, staining her jumpsuit immediately. She wanted the jumpsuit to be white so she could notice if there was Energon or any other fluid bleeding through somewhere when she was crawling in mechs’ chassis, but now the familiar blue and black stains were joined by red. _So much red._ Y/n didn’t like the memories the sight brought about.

“What in the pits?!” Breakdown’s voice boomed above her, “Y/n, ya sure you’re okay?”

“Will be in a sec,” the girl blinked away the tears and assured in a stifled voice, taking a glance at the wound – it currently looked like she was trying to commit suicide by slashing along her vein with an axe, “What the hell, wasn’t he in lockdown while in repair mode..?“

 _‘….Godfuckingdamnit?’_ , she added to herself, wondering why – with all of her ‘proxy upgrades’ – pain was something she had to deal with _every single time_ , and her skin was still only as durable as it always was. As for her patient, the problem turned out to be in the circuitry and the lockdown protocols – a rare occurrence where both of those things got damaged in a way that caused the mech to move despite Knockout inducing the lockdown prior to Y/n’s involvement.

“Think of it this way,” Y/n said as she continued her task, the wound on her arm now completely healed and only her torn, bloodied jumpsuit serving as a reminder of her injury, “At least you found out about it. It would’ve cost him his life if this happened in the field.”

“Ah, an optimist,” Knockout chuckled, his voice somewhere between chiding and impressed, “Hey Y/n, when you’re done, come over – I want to show you something.”

 

 

A lesson on cybertronian anatomy from Knockout? On a live patient? Not that it was a rare occurrence, and Y/n was _definitely_ curious, but she needed to make sure no one else needed her help fir-

 

 

“I can feel you judging me,” the red mech said and she could easily imagine him rolling his optics right now, “No, it won’t cost anybody their precious spark, everyone else is a ‘can wait’ case.”

Several voices of protest could be heard but were quickly silenced by the whirring sound of Knockout’s circular saw. That actually made Y/n smirk a bit. Sure, it wasn’t nice to keep the other patients waiting, but – if one looked at the bigger picture – the things Knockout taught her could potentially, maybe, let her help them in the future. And the way Knockout switched from charming to mad doctor was always an amusing sight. Whenever it wasn’t terrifying, that is.

The thing Knockout wanted to show her was the structure of a mech’s throat area. While Y/n knew the theoretical aspects, hands-on experience was something that couldn’t be matched. Cybertronians were incredibly fascinating and impressive in terms of their anatomy and often their bodies had a primary and alternate way to function to fulfil their needs. For example, like humans, cybertronians could ingest Energon either through their intake or could get nutrition through injecting it into their major fuel lines, like humans could be given nutrition through IVs. Unlike humans, however, if their intake couldn’t be used as an oral vent, cybertronians had vents on their bodies – usually mostly in their chassis area – to help them stay sufficiently cooled down. The heavier and/or more powerful the frame, the more susceptible it would be to overheating. All that Y/n already knew from the reading materials Knockout had graciously offered her, but actually seeing a mech with an almost completely severed head be in stable condition and given Energon through the open panel on his forearm, his body cooling itself through the vents on his sides – that was a whole different experience. It made her more easily believe that, under very specific circumstances, a cybertronian could survive their head being severed completely as it was stated in some cybertronian medical journal. As she helped Knockout and Breakdown operate, the young woman let herself dive into her task fully, set on worrying about anything else only once she was done with this. Almost a dozen soldiers had lost their lives today and she would prefer that that would be all the casualties for today.

 

 

***

 

 

The job was done, the task that required the entirety of her attention was finished and the black waters of worry were rapidly flooding Y/n’s mind now. She had sent Steve and his friends messages asking if they were alright, but she didn’t have any time to wait for a reply before she dove into work, so only now could she check if everyone was alright. Landing on a huge desk where she had left her things and fishing out her phone from her purse, the girl gestured to the two mechs in the room that she needed a second as she held her breath and brought up the chat window. A moment later she exhaled, relief softening her features and making her shoulders relax.

“You softie,” Knockout said with a knowing, smug look before he waved at her with his servo, bringing his other one to his intake dramatically, “Now take that thing off yourself immediately before I get sick. The oil, coolant and Energon I can handle, all that _organic_ red stuff, though…”

“It’s also sticky and – in some places – already crusty and stuff,” Y/n enlightened, smirking as she deactivated and folded the wings, after that carefully setting them on Knockout’s desk and beginning to take off the ruined jumpsuit eagerly.

 _“Please,”_ the cherry red mech frowned, his sour expression only making the girl grin more.

“You, eh, plan on getting that cleaned?” Breakdown asked, looking over the piece of clothing sceptically.

“Nah, these are meant to be used once,” Y/n replied as she stepped out of the torn and fluid-covered jumpsuit and was left in a ruined bloodstained blouse and some black pants. Helping out in the medbay was something that required the young woman to be flexible and ready to get dirty, so by now she had a couple of sizeable boxes of disposable, comfortable clothing here, as well as a whole arsenal of human-sized tools, some of which were modified by Knockout. Today, however, she had no time to get changed except for putting on her jumpsuit. Oh, well. A ruined set of clothes was no reason for worry. She carefully hooked the jumpsuit with her right foot and swiftly sent it flying towards Breakdown, who caught it with a smirk. The girl smirked back before beginning to put her wings back on. Okay, now it was time to get some answers.

 

“Okay guys, so what happened?” Y/n asked, looking up to look both mechs in the optics. The wings on her back made an almost whispering sound as they unfolded and the holomatter parts came back online, the feedback to the control device on the back of her neck informing her that all systems were in perfect working order. It, somehow, felt quite calming.

“Our scouts had run into Autobots Bumblebee and Arcee,” Breakdown replied readily while Knockout rolled his optics and fished out a small tube from a nearby shelf. “So, ya know, our guys hit Prime’s guys, Prime’s guys hit back, reinforcements from both sides arrived and suddenly it’s one big mess. Was over soon though, by the time any of our officers arrived the Autobots were already retreating.”

“Our mighty lord ordered a thorough search of the area,” the cherry red mech chimed in as he let a few drops of some kind of oil from the tube drip on various joints of his servos, “Whatever Prime was searching for, Megatron is determined to find it first. It’s probably an Autobot Energon deposit. Breakdown, servos.”

“Knockout, come on, you know I don’t need all that fancy stuff…”

 

The sight of Breakdown trying to back out out of oiling his servos and the sound of his low, masculine voice taking on whiny notes made Y/n chuckle.

 

 _“Servos,”_ Knockout repeated calmly, with an all too well-known scarily sweet smile beginning to form on his white metal lips. Breakdown’s optics looked over his partner then briefly darted towards Y/n in search of support, but, after seeing nothing but an apologetic shrug, gazed upon the medic once more. With a deep vent and slumping shoulders, the bruiser offered his servos to Knockout in defeat.

“Good mech,” the doctor said with a smug smirk as he began dripping oil into the much larger servo joints of the blue mech.

“If the others saw me right now they’d never let me live it down,” Breakdown said without any fight in his voice, obediently letting his partner do as he wanted. Knockout hmphed and rolled his optics, his calm dainty servos continuing their unhurried movements.

“Breakdown, the Nemesis could crash, burn and explode with everyone still on it and Knockout wouldn’t care as long as the both of you were okay,” Y/n stated in a matter-of-fact tone, chuckling softly at the end of the sentence. The blue mech smirked, nodding in agreement as he no doubt knew that to be absolutely true while the medic just smiled silently, his optics focused on his partner’s servos while Breakdown looked at him warmly.

“You’re one observant kitten, doll,” Knockout mused in amusement as he closed the small tube and turned to look at Y/n, his right optic ridge slightly raised.

“I swear, if anyone else talked to me like that…” Y/n smirked, her gaze then deliberately slowly travelling from the doctor to his assistant and then back, “But yes, I have learned a few things from watching you both.”

“Well that sounds almost creepy. Even consider hanging out with Soundwave a little less?” Knockout inquired teasingly, Breakdown giving a good-hearted chuckle at the statement.

“The only thing I have tried to figure out is how I could hang out with him a little _more_ ,” Y/n replied, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip.

“Oh, _I see how it is…”_

As a devilish grin appeared on the medic’s faceplate and his optics creased up slightly, focusing on her and shining with a mischievous light, the young woman immediately knew what it was about.

“Knockout, Knockout, _no,”_ she tried to say with as much seriousness as she could, but the smile that was tugging on the corners of her lips made it very difficult.

“D’aaw, does our little Y/n have a crush on Soundwave?” the medic purred, crimson optics playful, “I wondered if it would be Megatron or Soundwave, but I guess the _tall, dark and quiet_ is your type.”

“Knockout-”

“Well isn’t that cute,” Breakdown chimed in, his signature wide grin now present on his face, his tone indicating that he was so very close to laughing, “I mean, it’s not impossible, y’know?”

“They _do_ often spend time together…so there’s a possibility that Soundwave may be into you too, doll. So, when are you confessing?~” the cherry red mech asked, the wiggle of his black optic ridges enough to tip Y/n over the edge. Covering her eyes with her palm, she shook her head as she laughed breathily.

 

Funny as this was, Y/n was sure that the pair would eventually figure out what was going out between her and their master. Almost the entirety of the crew knew her as Megatron’s pet/an insight into Autobot experimentation on sentient organic life/curious Earth novelty - something that amused the warlord, at least for now. Some knew her as a sort of a tour guide or provider of insights on Earth. Steve and his friends, as well as Knockout and Breakdown, knew her as Megatron’s ‘entertainment on demand’ - someone who had survived thanks to the unique, intriguing condition of her being a Cybertronian proxy and, later, to her figuring out how to hold a conversation with the warlord in a way that let her fall into his good graces. At least, for now. Knockout speculated that the former gladiator had been in dire need of stress relief for vorns and it worked in Y/n’s favour, Breakdown added to that theory his own guess that the young woman smartly introduced highgrade and, eventually, invitations to visit various places on Earth into their interactions and that kept the warlord from getting easily bored of her. Soundwave was the only one who was aware of the truth and the young woman didn’t even want to think about how much he saw or knew _exactly_.

Really, both her and Megatron would have preferred that it stayed a secret from anyone else - that kept it all simple and provided less risk of his subordinates viewing him in a light that was very different from what would be ideal. But if anyone would realize what kind of bond Y/n really had with the Decepticon leader, it would be Knockout. Eventually, he would and Y/n would have to deal with it then. She was fairly sure that the duo from the medbay could keep it a secret, if only to stay alive. Okay, that was an over-exaggeration. Megatron wouldn’t kill them, _of course,_ but she could imagine Soundwave getting involved and doing _something_ to scare them to the point that the two would probably start avoiding her altogether.

 

 

“Why Y/n… _Your pulse quickened.”_

 

Oh for the love of-

“Knockout, no.”

“Hehe, does the kid really have a crush on Soundwave?”

“Breakdown-”

“Kid, if ya ask us real nice, we’ll offer him a holomatter generator. Y’know, for spying purposes.”

“But only if you promise to tell us if there are _some_ activities during which that mech isn’t completely silent~”

“I swear, if you ever check my vitals without a good reason and my permission again, I will come to you at night and paint your frame into that one shade of dirt-khaki you hate so much.”

“Doll, I’m warning you, even though I’m a medic I’m even better at _disassembling_ individuals…”

“O-kaay, so Y/n, you wanna postpone the thing we wanted to do for your Birthday? You could use a break, kid.”

“Thank you, Breakdown. You’re the reasonable one in your partnership.”

_“Hey!”_

As both the young woman and the blue mech exchanged glances and smirked at the unconvincing glare Knockout was giving them, Y/n realized that she would, in fact, prefer to relax right about now. As she flew out the medbay, Breakdown called out to her, making her stop and turn around, hovering in the air as she looked at the two Decepticons.

“It’s good to have ya on board,” the bruiser said, his voice that of calm appreciation, Knockout giving a nod and a smile as he stood by Breakdown’s side. It wasn’t in Decepticon fashion to compliment others(not if it wasn’t meant sarcastically, at least), Birthday or no, and even though Y/n had noticed that Knockout and Breakdown were dismissive of the trend and often acted in a familiar manner with both subordinates and her, this type of simple, honest statement was still something relatively rare. And something that was very appreciated, especially after a stressful day’s work.

“Thanks,” the young woman looked at her friends with warmth glowing in her e/c eyes as a grateful smile graced her lips, “Glad to be here.”

The two mechs nodded and the huge metal doors slid shut just after Y/n caught a glimpse of them looking back at each other. Smiling to herself, the girl spread her wings a bit more and flew up to the ceiling to then fly quickly and without obstacles towards her room.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

A bath sounded divine right about now. The kind of bath that was like pool in size, filled with warm water…Maybe even a bubble-bath! Spending time bathing was usually what she did after helping out in the medbay, by this point anyone who knew her well was aware of that. Since celebrations would have to be postponed due to the Autobot attack and the work and strategizing that followed, Y/n had the rest of the day pretty much to herself. Wondering to herself if her lover would be able to visit her later today, the girl turned the final corner and flew down the hall towards her room. Immediately, she saw a Vehicon standing guard by the door. What was this about?

Immediately upon noticing her approach, the mech turned to her, black and dark violet metal gleaming in the lights of the hallway.

“Yo, Y/n!”

“Steve,” the girl immediately smiled at her friend, the slight nervousness in her heart disappearing immediately, “You…Have you been waiting long? You could have texted me. You okay?”

“I’m fine, _mom,_ I’ve told you,” the Vehicon chuckled, a barely-audible note of what could probably be appreciation in his tone, “Anyways, I’ve come to deliver presents from the guys. You know, on occasion of you being born in that creepy organic way that you were.”

“Wow, Steve, don’t sweettalk so much, I might fall in love,” Y/n chuckled as well, raising her brow as she looked at the mech’s visor with playful disapproval. He smirked, then lifted his right servo, pointy black digits unfurling to reveal a relatively small square metal box that was painted in various bright colours rather generously.

“Here. Open the door, I’ll bring it in,” the mech offered with a nod of his helm and Y/n, still looking at the peculiar container, sent a command via her wing controller, opening the door. As they entered the room and reached her hunter’s cabin the Vehicon carefully put the box onto Y/n’s porch, staying crouched as he continued talking to her:

“The guys already sent their congrats and stuff in the morning, but, y’know, they said to tell you ‘Happy Emergence day’ again,” he said, his tone somewhere between amused and genuinely glad.

“Thanks, Steve, I do appreciate it,” the young woman nodded and smiled, landing carefully in front of her house and deactivating her wings.

“Shame those fraggin’ Autobots decided to make us all busy today, we could’ve had a party or at least visit you or something,” Steve grumbled as he watched her walk up the small set of stairs, immediately adding as he saw her sigh: “Frag those slaggin' Autobots.”

“Frag those slaggin’ Autobots indeed,” Y/n echoed without much passion, but with all of the sincerity. It wasn’t really the party or events that were missed or postponed that troubled her, it was the loss of life. It just made her feel sad and hateful and, most of all, tired. She couldn’t even imagine how everyone else felt, how Megatron felt, dealing with it for thousands of years.

“Hey, come on,” Steve’s digit ever so lightly poked her shoulder, the mech having caught up on what could be gnawing on her soul, “Don’t think about it. It’s war, it, eh, happens. Been much more fun since you began living on the ship, you know.”

“Heh, well I’m glad to hear that,” the girl looked to the giant metal finger and then at its owner, her hand coming up to pet the dark metal of her friend’s servo, “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now stop being sad and open your stupid present. I mean totally swag present.”

“ _Swag present?”_

“Shut up and open it.”

 

Chuckling and shaking her head, the young woman walked up to the metal box, once more looking over all the different colours it was spray-painted with. She guessed it was the guys’ way of making if bright and colourful like present boxes on the pictures one could find on the internet. She appreciated the thought, even if she was dangerously close to giggling. Hooking her fingertips under the lid, the girl easily lifted and pushed it to the side, looking inside the box with curiosity...

 

 


	43. A Special Day (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After helping out in the medbay, Y/n decides to relax by takind a bath. Someone else has plans to congratulate her on her birthday, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Birthday chapters aren't tied to winter btw, you can imagine they happened at any other season and any point in time during the year after Y/n and Megatron got together.
> 
> ! WARNING !: There is smut here. Yep. As always, I'm going to put ////// where it begins and ends, just in case someone is not in the mood for some smut.  
> I hope you enjoy~ ;)

 

 

Holding a towel and some comfortable at-home clothes in her hands, Y/n flew up to the door of one of the small spare decontamination rooms that had her personal sink in it. Though, as she hasn’t ever seen any trace of anyone else using the out-of-the-way facility, she wondered if she might as well consider the room her personal bathroom. The thought of having a ‘personal sink’ was amusing to the girl – the place where an average mech could only wash his servos was big enough to serve as a pool for her. Convenient, to say the least. Luxurious, even! Steve’s brief visit, as well as the present the Vehicons gave her, improved her mood quite a bit and while she wouldn’t say her mental tiredness was completely gone, it did lessen noticeably. The huge dark grey metal door slid to the side, revealing to the young woman something unexpected – the automatic lighting didn’t switch on. The room remained dark, save for the golden glow coming from the far right – exactly where the sink was. As she turned her head and flew closer, her expression changed from confusion to surprise, then to delight.

The area around the sink was full of candles – big and small, ivory in colour, their light illuminating and faintly reflecting off the million bubbles that made up the foam that covered the already full sink. A faint aroma of milk and honey permeated the air and the quiet sound of small bubbles inside the mountain of foam bursting from time to time was the only thing Y/n could hear. Gently landing onto the counter, causing several smaller candle lights to flicker, the young woman looked around some more, taking in the fruit of the effort a certain someone decided to put in for her sake. Quietly, she deactivated the wings and set them to the side before walking the small path between the candles that was very providently left leading up to the sink. Kneeling near the edge of the sink, Y/n reached down, sinking her hand first into the bubbly white foam and then into the water.

 

_Perfect temperature._

 

The girl smiled, taking her hand out of the water and blowing the rest of the foam off, causing bubbles and lumps of foam to fly into the air, sparkling in the warm yellow light before falling back into the mountains of foam in the sink with a quiet rustling sound. Taking a couple more moments to enjoy the view, Y/n took out her phone and brought up a chat window with a contact by the inconspicuous name of M.

 

 

_I have found a very romantic bath waiting for me._

_Someone on the ship must appreciate me quite the decent amount._

 

Almost immediately, she received a reply:

 

_M: It was me._

The bluntness made her give a breathy chuckle. Fair enough - today was a stressful day, can’t blame the mech for being strictly to-the-point. Smiling to herself, she typed out an invitation:

 

 

_Thank you! If you’re not too busy, I’d love to share the bath with you._

_M: I hoped you would ask. I will be there in a breem or so._

 

A wide grin settled on Y/n’s face as she read that she would be joined by the warlord after all. So, in about 8 minutes, huh? Guess she should take off her clothes and hop into the luxurious bath her lover had drawn for her. Megatron wasn’t one to verbally express his affections too often or too explicitly - it wasn’t something that he was used to doing at all, but the mere fact that he remembered her habits, her favouring unintrusive scents instead of too strong ones and even her preferred water temperature, as well as arranging all of this even though he himself had to deal with the consequences of the Autobot attack…Well, actions spoke way louder than words, indeed. Putting down the towel and comfy spare clothes she brought with her, the young woman began taking off the boots, shirt and pants that she had left her room in. The designer clothes she was having brunch in just earlier today were ruined and resting at the bottom of her trash bin back in her room. But, really, who cared? The thing she _did_ care about was Megatron not seeing her in those bloodied clothes, hence why she had changed before taking a bath. She wouldn’t lie if he asked her whether she had gotten injured or not today, but if it was up to her she would rather not inform the warlord of these things – it got healed instantly anyway and Megatron always got noticeably tense and displeased when Y/n got hurt in any way, even if it had long since healed.  For a stoic and strict scary-looking mech, Megatron could be quite the sweetheart in his own way. Even if he would scowl if she ever said those words to his face…She probably should do that at some point, just for giggles.

The young woman sat down on the edge of the sink and slowly lowered first her right foot, then her left into the foam and warm water. She just sat there for a moment, looking over the foam that stretched for several meters into the distance and almost looked like the steel-coloured mech had stolen a fluffy white cloud and deposited it into the sink. Then, finally, she pushed off the sink’s edge with her hands, diving into the water and submerging completely. She stayed underwater for a while, just savouring the feeling of warmth all around her, the silence that came from being underwater, the feeling of her muscles relaxing and her hair flowing all around her head. She could stay there for a while, she thought, thanks to her body being able to handle about 30 minutes without air easily last time she checked. The girl only had about 7 minutes left, though. The water was probably going to sting if she opened her eyes while submerged, but there was still a chance that it wouldn’t – after all, there was _a lot_ of water here, so it would probably dilute even a full bottle of whatever Megatron had used to create all this glorious kingdom of foam. Carefully, she tried opening her eyes just a little bit, just to check. Upon finding out that she was in the clear, however, the girl opened her eyes fully and gleefully swam a quick circle, diving to the very bottom and then swimming up to touch the underside of the layer of foam above. Finally, she decided to peak out of the water to see if Megatron had appeared already. Funny, she though, if he was human she could have easily felt his presence nearby. But like this, it felt, well…almost as if she herself was just a normal human without abilities that sometimes were very convenient and other times could be a royal pain in the ass.

 

Re-emerging from the water, Y/n was met with a pile of bubbles to the face, having to dig her way out of the foam. It was a fun thing to do, though; she liked the process of pushing away the wall of white from all sides, scooping and throwing further away whatever encroached back onto her. Finally, she was left with a nice little resting spot with her back pressed to the edge of her improvised pool and the rest of her surrounded by nicely-smelling bubble bath. Placing both her elbows on the counter behind her, hands hovering over the surface of the water, the young woman threw back her head and closed her eyes, relishing the whole experience. She didn’t spend long like this before she heard heavy footsteps coming from behind herself. Lazily, Y/n turned around, placing her forearms on top of each other on the counter and putting her chin onto them as he looked at the approaching almost-human-sized mech with satisfaction and gratitude. 

“Thank you. It was so nice of you to do this for me,” she told him, her voice warm and loving as she enjoyed the view. Megatron looked quite handsome in the candlelight, the metal of his frame reflecting the golden glow where light fell onto metal _just so_ …Oh Primus, how did she ever live without having a metal alien for a lover? She noticed his optics darting to her bare, wet shoulders and neck before returning to focus on her face and it sent a small, delightful shiver up her spine and made her smile just a little wider.

“You deserve it, Y/n,” the warlord stated simply before stopping and kneeling in front of her, his crimson optics holding a warm, affectionate light that Y/n treasured more than any material gifts he could ever give her.

“I am glad my attempt at pleasantly surprising you was successful. Your present is back in your cabin, but allow me to already congratulate you on your Birthday,” he added, this time a small smile accompanying the statement.

“Very much so. And thank you so much,” the young woman gave him the most charming smile she was capable of and then leaned up a bit just to be a little closer to the mech, “Presents, while exciting, can wait. Join me?”

 

The warlord cocked his head to the side a bit as his expression softened some more and gently placed a talon-like index digit under her chin, looking deeply into her e/c eyes. Both he and Y/n stayed like that for a moment, taking a good long look at each other for the first time that day. His thumb carefully swiped across her cheek - the feeling of smooth metal on her skin so familiar and anticipated by now. But even though her heart filled up with warmth at the affectionate gesture, she could see that Megatron’s thoughts were still on the battlefield, at least partly.

 

“Rough day?” Y/n asked compassionately as she turned her head and placed a kiss on his thumb, watching the mech out of the corner of her eye.

“Not nearly as ‘rough’ as some of the other times I’ve had to face,” Megatron replied, both his face and his voice not showing much emotion on the matter aside from irritation with his enemy. He thought for a second, then sighed and added, allowing a shadow of anger to show in his expression this time: “The fight wasn’t a long one, as you may already know. At this point I am almost willing to start thinking that Prime shows himself just to annoy me with his almost immediate retreat.”  

Y/n nodded in understanding. Though the loss of any life was tragic, reasonably speaking a few dead troops and some injured ones didn’t exactly spell out ‘massive confrontation’, and considering Y/n wasn’t gone for that long anyway when she met with her friend to have brunch, it indeed seemed that today’s scuffle had very little influence on the war, if any. And this wasn’t the first time this happened, too. Optimus Prime’s forces were ridiculously outmanned and it was no wonder that his military operations were conducted the way they were. But it still didn’t change the fact that it prolonged an already incredibly long war and – on a more personal level – left Megatron in a foul mood afterwards, especially if Prime’s forces got away with whatever they were planning that time. Today, however, he didn’t seem too angered. Maybe he had already found whatever Prime was trying to get his servos on. She decided that she would ask later, right now she was trying to get his thoughts away from the war.

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” she sighed quietly, before putting her hand onto the large metal servo that was caressing her cheek, “I’m glad you’re alright, though.”

“You don’t have to worry, Y/n,” Megatron replied with a small nod she guessed was a way of saying ‘thank you’ for being concerned, “I assure you, none of the tricks the Autobots have will work against me and not even the bearer of the Matrix of leadership can best me in combat.”

 

Confident words, the young woman thought to herself as she lowered her gaze and looked at the warlord’s servo thoughtfully. _Maybe even overly confident._ Then again, when it came to war, she would never in her life claim to know more than Megatron, who had many, _many_ centuries of experience as well as a ton of intel gathered on the Autobots over the years. Looking back up at the mech’s face, she gave him an affectionate smile.

 

“I know, I know. You know I’ll still worry, I care for you a lot after all.”

The words caused the former gladiator to raise his optic ridges slightly before he chuckled softly, closing his optics and shaking his head slowly.

“I guess it cannot be helped, then. You will not catch me asking for you to care less.”

“Good,” Y/n nodded, happy that she could put the mech into a good mood.

“This is not the first time we’ve had this talk, though,” Megatron said thoughtfully, opening his optics to look at her once again, “Perhaps, you would like me to briefly message you whenever I come back from combat?”

 

Yes, _yes_ she very much would like that. In fact, it was on her mind for months now. She always felt so much calmer when Megatron sometimes decided to send her a message, however brief, whenever he returned from a fight. The only thing stopping her from flat out asking for it was her adamant knowledge that Megatron usually had _a lot_ to do whenever he returned from military operations.

 

“Your expression and your silence speak volumes,” the mech noted as he raised an optic ridge, “If that would have helped put your mind at ease, you didn’t have to do anything but ask, Y/n.”

His voice was a bit lower now, with an affectionate rumble to it and if Y/n was blushing she didn’t care because that damn alien lord was getting very good at finding ways to make her do that. The nerve of him, being caring and devilishly perceptive. Looking all handsome in the candle light while his optics glowed such a vibrant, passionate red. Absolutely inexcusable.

“I wanted to, but I thought that you are usually busy enough without me spamming you with messages. So I may have developed a habit of interrogating Knockout instead,” the young woman shrugged, smiling apologetically to which her lover nodded in acknowledgement.

“I _am_ usually busy after a confrontation with the Autobots, but a nano-click spent to brief you on the situation wouldn’t trouble me at all,” he assured her, taking his digits off Y/n to properly close his servo, holding her hand in it gently yet firmly.

“I’d like that, then,” the girl smiled and gave a small nod, a quiet sigh of relief escaping her. Before the mech could tease her more about being worried about him – and she could see that he was about to, he could be mean that way sometimes - she announced: “Megatron, you are coming into the water.”

Whatever he was about to say was left untold because the statement made the ex-gladiator raise an optic ridge and give her an amused half-grin.

“Oh, really? Am I?” he asked, laughter and condescendence in his voice.

 

Y/n smiled innocently. Then, she placed her right hand on the servo that already held her left one and suddenly pushed off the side of the sink with her feet, basically catapulting the mech into the water and causing an explosion of foam. Despite how she looked, she was freakishly strong for a human, after all. Megatron seemed to forget that sometimes.

As lumps of foam landed everywhere around the sink, Megatron didn’t emerge from the water. His mech holoform was too heavy not to immediately sink, so Y/n thought he’d switch to his human one by now. Unless-

As a large clawed servo grabbed her by the ankle, the girl only had time for a startled yelp before she was yanked underwater.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Later, they find themselves in the exact same position Y/n was in before Megatron had appeared, resting with their backs against the inner side of the sink but now with Y/n’s head resting on the currently very human-looking alien lord’s upper arm.

“Teacups?” he asks, mildly amused at the Vehicons’ choice of present. That sounds…unexpectedly tasteful and in accordance with Y/n’s love for the beverage.

“ _Insult_ teacups,” the young woman corrects with a chuckle, “Google it, it’s hilarious.”

 

Ah. Of course. Very witty. Combining small cups with pretty images on them with phrases like ‘Stop talking’ and ‘I hope you choke’ painted on the cup and saucer. While the practical use of such things was questionable, since about the only person having tea in Y/n’s house was Megatron, the gift seemed to amuse his lover, so at least it wasn’t completely useless. Perhaps, she could use the cups in case Knockout and Breakdown decided to be annoying and spend time with Y/n inside the cabin. No, he wasn’t being territorial. Not at all.

 

“I hope you do not intend to serve me tea in one of those?” he asks with pretend-sternness, and the girl hums in what is clearly mock thoughtfulness before replying with a question of her own:

“Would you like an ‘I could poison you’ or a ‘Stop talking’ one?”

“Do you dislike it when I talk?” the warlord asks, very much sure that Y/n enjoys their conversations as much as he does.

“ _That’s_ the one you have issue with? Figures,” his lover laughs breathily and the sound warms his spark to its very core, “Nah, it would be meant as ‘Stop talking and kiss me’ in your case.”

“Ah, I see,” he says in a slightly lower voice, leaning closer to Y/n to do exactly that – kiss her. She leans into him as well as she kisses him back, and once the kiss ends he closes his arm around her, pulling Y/n snugly against his side. By the satisfied croon and a kiss to his shoulder he gathers that it was the right thing to do.

“So, did Soundwave give you your present already?” the man asks lazily as he looks down over the young woman’s body, more than satisfied with the view. Does this girl even know exactly how attractive she is to him?

“Hah, the moment it hit 00:01 on the clock I got a notification that hehad bought me every single game I had on my wishlist on Steam. You know Soundwave - very efficient, very informed,” Y/n chuckles as she playfully nips at his ear. Having ears is strange, the feeling her playful actions is strange…yet not unpleasant, quite the opposite really.

“He is very much those things, yes,” the lord agrees readily, “But, on another note…”

He turns his head so he can catch those soft, wonderful lips of Y/n’s with his once more, after that looking into her eyes and being very sure that she can see the rapidly growing fire of lust that she had so effortlessly ignited in him.

“My dear Y/n, would you like to end your bath time now, perhaps?..”

 

 

 

*******

 

//////

 

His lips hungrily touch every inch of her neck and shoulders as his servos quickly do away with the clothes she had to put on to get to her cabin. She hears the sound of fabric ripping and right now she doesn’t care if those were her pants, her shirt or her panties, what she _does_ care about is getting more of the mech above her. By now, Megatron knows many of the spots that – when touched a certain way – make her breath hitch, her mind go blank and her body arch up to press against him, and oh is he set on using that knowledge today more than usual.

She gasps softly when he gently drags his index and middle digits down her collarbone, lower down the sensitive skin of her left breast and then lightly traces the areola, the feeling both borderline tickling and so very arousing. He notices her reaction and hums approvingly, the deep rumble that reverberates in his chassis causing a shiver to run up her spine. Maybe it’s her body being sensitive after the bath, maybe it’s the knowledge that the one she loves is back with her, unharmed, or maybe Megatron is just getting that good at pleasuring her, but everything he does is sweet torture, incredible in how intensely she feels his touches, his kisses and his breath against her skin as he murmurs praises to her now and again. His glossa drags over her left nipple with enough pressure to make her back arch, and once his lips close around the sensitive bundle of flesh, she bites her lip and lets out a quiet moan which quickly becomes louder when he starts playing with the nipple with his glossa. Switching between a slow pace where his glossa would circle around the nipple, pressing the tip of the glossa onto the areola, and a fast, mercilessly-paced series of licks to the peak of her breast as well as rolling it with his glossa, Megatron made her breathing switch between deep, pleasure-filled lustful breaths and fast, shallow whimper-filled breathing. His mouth frees her left nipple and Y/n exhales with relief before she realises she can now feel the warlord’s breath on her right one. Seconds later, she’s subjected to the mech’s caresses once again and if his lips and glossa weren’t enough, the middle digit of his right servo ever so lightly touches her still-wet left nipple and gives it a gentle roll, immediately causing her lower lips to pulse so much more and get wetter with every pulsing sensation, so much so that she instinctively squeezes her tights together as heat spreads from her lower abdomen like a wildfire. As he gives her right nipple the same kind of treatment he gave the left one, the former gladiator catches the latter between his middle and index digit and pulls lightly. The young woman gasps and moans sweetly, feeling like her sanity is kept afloat only by her busying herself with stroking and caressing her lover everywhere she could reach. At least he didn’t take away her ability to touch him as well, or maybe he knew she would be too distracted to properly retaliate. After all, she did promise him she’d let him pleasure her without worrying about him this time. Oh, she couldn’t wait until she could get back at him for this.

A playful, gentle even, nip from sharp dentas makes her gasp louder than before and instinctively cover her mouth with her hand – such potent pleasure mixed with just a tinge of pain and spiced up by the mental image of how damn sharp those teeth really are, it’s enough to make her body shiver and her to become lightheaded. Once she gathers enough self-control to look down she’s met with a very satisfied smirk and a lustful glow of red optics as Megatron drags his glossa over the nipple as if trying to apologize for the earlier bite. She takes her hand from her lips and offers a distrusting smirk in return, and at that Megatron drags his right servo from her left breast over her ribs, her side and, finally, puts it on her pubic area, his smile becoming downright sinful as he watches the smirk drop from her face, now replaced by slightly open lips as Y/n takes a shaky breath. Looking back down onto her body, the mech gives a deep, appreciative guttural hum before continuing. Taking his servo off her pubic area teasingly, he proceeds to stroke her sides and her hips with both servos while kissing and licking his way down her breasts, her ribs and then dragging his glossa around her navel. His servos are on the middle part of her hips when his lips touch the juncture between her lower abdomen and right hip and start making their way inward, closer to her pelvic area and her drenched core that feels so insufferably hot and pulsing and _empty_ right now. The young woman can’t do much more than give a stifled moan when she feels strong servos take her by the thighs and gently yet firmly spread her legs. The rush of air to her overheated sex makes her breath hitch, but not as much as what comes next. A quiet, needy moan escapes Y/n when the warm, smooth metal of Megatron’s digits touches her lower lips, drags up the wet slit and lightly touches the sensitive bundle of nerves. She isn’t the only one affected by the contact, though. The moment his digits press to the wet lips of her core, the mech above her gives a stifled groan that could have sounded painful if not how drenched in lust it was – a sound of pure, barely suppressed want that is so erotic to her, that touches something so very primal and potent in Y/n that she can’t help but spread her legs wider apart.

“Megatron…” she pleads with him, not sure if she’s going for a gentle voice or a desperate one – at this point, anything would do if it got the mech to just stop with the torture and just sate this hunger inside her and rid her of this painful emptiness inside. And while the touch of his digits makes adrenaline rush through her veins and her arousal levels go through the roof, those digits aren’t exactly something he can use to enter her, not if he’s planning to keep his natural appearance. She is well aware that the warlord could tease her for hours, denying her her pleasure for a considerable while - both of them liked to sometimes pleasure the other’s body to their own heart’s/spark’s content. Right now, however, she’s very close to either crying or ripping the mech apart if he doesn’t just-

 

A tell-tale clicking and sliding sound of Megatron’s interface panel opening is almost enough to make her cum immediately and she hopes he can see the gratitude in her eyes, because she can’t form sentences too well right now. The tip of his heavy, already dripping spike touching the outer lips of her soaking wet core makes her shiver and her inner walls squeeze around nothing, and it’s both so good it makes her moan and so frustrating that it makes her purse her lips in impatience. One of the warlord’s huge servos finds a place under her neck, while the other takes no time in securing one of her legs oh his hip. A low growl, a soft uttering of her name and a hungry, forceful kiss serve as a warning before the thick, pulsing spike begins entering her, parting the petals of her lower lips and stretching her inner walls, causing the young woman to gasp and carefully move towards the hot metal organ, breathing heavily as the huge thing slowly but unyieldingly enters her. Listening to Megatron’s stifled moans, looking at his massive frame towering above her as his spike impales her inch by inch, the young woman’s intense pleasure can only be compared to the intensity of her feelings towards her lover. Finally, he’s fully sheathed within her and both their voices mix in a sensual, breathy moan before the mech gives a first, shallow thrust that prompts Y/n to grab onto his chassis armor; and as she does, Y/n can feel her hands trembling in anticipation.  

The slow pace Megatron first sets quickly escalates into a rougher, faster one as both he and the young woman seem to be in a particularly needy mood tonight. Sounds of heavy breathing, gasps and moans from each side fill the room as they give into pleasure, wanting nothing else except for _more._ His large servos grab her slender waist, now holding her firmly in place as he thrusts into her weeping sex over and over. Y/n cries out his name in blissful delight and tightens around his spike, earning her a raspy murmur of approval and a rumbling moan from her lover. She absolutely adores how much more vocal Megatron is gradually getting during lovemaking as their bond grows stronger, his sounds of pleasure make her arousal so much stronger and her pleasure so much more intense. Grinding down on him as much as she possibly can in this position in the hopes of hearing more, she’s rewarded by an expression of lustful pleasure on the mechs face, but she doesn’t get to savour it for long because he swiftly lifts her off his spike and then stuffs it into her in one powerful thrust, making her throw her head back in ecstasy. She isn’t going to last long like this, she realizes. Blinking away the haze of her pleasure, she looks up into her lover’s face and she doesn’t know if it’s her expression or something else, but suddenly she is lifted up even higher, her chest almost pressing against the nearly too warm metal chassis as Megatron crashes his lips onto her in a kiss that is as much loving as it is possessive. Pressing against the mech as much as she can, locking her ankles behind him and throwing her arms around his neck, the young woman kisses back with as much passion, her hand finding its way under the back of his helm, her fingers being slender and long enough to caress the metal on the back of his neck that is usually protected from any contact. The rumble that she feels in his chassis, against her bare skin, is sinfully erotic and makes her no less heady than the warlord’s kiss. The feeling is familiar by now and yet still so exciting -  warmth-radiating, hard, unyielding metal, so smooth yet riddled with micro-scratches from countless battles, space travels and other things that are so completely different to the life Y/n knows, all the things Megatron had survived and came victorious out of. Once their lips part, she presses her forehead to his neck, the air from her uneven, shallow breaths hitting his Decepticon insignia as he continues taking her at a deliciously punishing pace.

She feels her climax approaching rapidly, like a powerful wave coming towards her, making her breathing quicken and her body tense, her hands clinging to the steel-coloured metal so tightly that her knuckles become white. She opens her mouth to speak and that’s when Megatron’s hips snap forward unexpectedly, shoving his spike so deep inside her that her lower lips press against the metal of his protoform around his spike, and her mouth remains open in a soundless cry that then becomes a long, sweet, lustful moan as a powerful, mind numbing orgasm hits her full-force. The mech holding her groans, makes a few more thrusts before stopping his movements and utters some kind of praise – she doesn’t quite catch the words, but his voice is thick with desire and pleasure and his spike throbs inside of her strongly, which only prolongs her climax, the walls of her core clenching around it greedily. When she’s able to take a breath without it being too shaky, the young woman raises her head to look at her lover, her gaze full of lust and pleasure, and love so intense it almost hurts, her eyes switching from looking at his optics to his lips and back. The gaze of his crimson optics matches hers, with the only exception being that the scorching heat of his pent up tension is still in them, and one look is enough to awaken Y/n’s hunger for more. She leans up, offering her lips to him and he gladly lowers his helm to kiss her, his glossa dragging across her lower lip and then playing with her tongue once she parts her lips. He holds her securely and his kiss, while passionate, is mindful of her heady state - she can clearly feel that the mech is holding back for her sake. Oh, but this won’t do.

As she continues kissing him, Y/n starts grinding on him slowly, savouring both his taste on her tongue and the feeling of his throbbing spike against the well-lubricated, pleasantly stretched walls of her sex. The warlord hums half-appraisingly, half-questioningly into the kiss and to that the young woman just starts to rub his neck sensually as she continues her slow, deliberate movements up and down his spike, tightening up the muscles of her core around the pulsing hardness. A hoarse groan is her reward and she smiles into the kiss, happy to finally be able to be the one who provides some sweet torture. She playfully takes his lower lip between her teeth and pulls gently while letting out a quiet, enticing hum. He’s kissing her again now, but this time it’s much more demanding and less held back - it seems that she successfully convinced him that she’s indeed ready and willing for more. He withdraws his spike just a bit and then thrusts into her impatiently, and they both gasp and moan, their breaths mixing as their combined fluids make an sinful, obscene sound that makes the walls of her pussy tighten around the spike instinctively as it smears them with more precum. As she starts to become more breathless from kissing, Y/n decides to lean down, covering Megatron’s neck with kisses, licks and the occasional teasing bite and, judging by the sound he makes and by the way his hips quicken their movement, he likes that a lot. Good. After all, the former gladiator isn’t the only one who pays attention during their lovemaking.

Her tongue drags over the transformation seams on his upper chassis, her lips touch both the spots where he feels it the most and where she just thinks the metal needs some affection, her fingers get under his helm and between his armor plates and caress the sensitive living metal there. Megatron’s frame is something she is hopelessly in love with and there’s always a small celebration in her soul and her perverted thoughts whenever she finds another place he enjoys being touched in. Eventually, their movements once again become rough and fast enough that she grabs onto Megatron for comfort, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have ways to affect him and bring about his overload faster. Trying her hardest not to get too distracted by the sensation of the mech’s spike pressing against all the right places and throbbing inside her in an overwhelmingly pleasurable way, the young woman concentrates on matching her lover’s pace in a way that makes him grit his dentas in pleasure. She also doesn’t hold back any whimpers or gasps his actions cause, knowing well that it was very effective at getting him close and over the edge. Meanwhile, her second orgasm is building up quickly and it’s getting increasingly more difficult not to get swept up in the sensations her overly sensitive body is experiencing – the way her erect nipples drag over Megatron’s chassis up and down as the two lovers move, the way his large servos firmly hold her waist, the way his spike fills her so completely and leaves her painfully empty until the next powerful thrust of metal hips makes pleasure shoot throughout her whole body again. As her lips lustfully touch his neck between moan-filled breaths, Y/n feels the mech’s grasp on her tighten and his thrusts become more desperate, just how they do when he’s close. The realisation takes her to the very edge, and as she’s balancing on it – her breaths shallow, her hands gripping onto Megatron for dear life – her lover calls out to her in a stifled, hoarse voice and  \then lets out a low, pleasure-filled moan as warm transfluid spills into her, immediately triggering her own orgasm. She gasps and trembles, uttering the mech’s name in a breathy moan as she grinds down on him, and he lustfully groans into her hair as she prolongs their pleasure. Soon, the mech pulls out of her and the feeling of that, added to the feeling of their combined fluids running down both their thighs is a special kind of post-coital pleasure that sends shivers through her body.

 

 

//////

 

 

They still, their breathing being the only sound that could be heard it the room for several blissful, heavenly moments as she relaxes against the mech while he continues to hold her, one of his servos remaining on her waist and the other now resting between her shoulder blades. As the heady feeling of afterglow has its hold on her, the young woman closes her eyes and focuses on the pleasure that seems to tingle in every cell of her body, on the feeling of Megatron’s cooling vents pushing a faint stream of warm air against her abdomen, on the gradually evening breathing that she feels on the top of her head and on the warm metal against her cheek. She feels the servo that was between her shoulder blades now travel up and the young woman slowly raises her head and looks up at the mech lovingly as he starts to affectionately rub the back of her neck. He looks at her in silence, his optics still as hazy with pleasure as her own eyes probably are, and his expression is a very rare one for a mech such as Megatron – he looks peaceful, the features of his face relaxed as he gazes upon her with completely unreserved affection. He’s thinking something, and while Y/n is sure their lines of thought are similar, only he himself knows what it is exactly. She can see it’s something bright and warm, and about her, and she catches herself thinking that she’s perfectly happy right now. With this alien made of living metal, with his intellect and his pride, his passion and his ruthlessness, his attention, his interest, his care. His frame, so unlike her body yet so similar at the same time. She could find a hundred reasons, yet her mind is brimming with simpler thoughts right now. How the sight of his peaceful face makes her heart swell and ache at the same time; how much she adores his thin, scarred metal lips, how _absolutely perfect_ they feel on hers be it a passionate kiss or a gentle, brief one; how beautiful his optics are, how different they seem when he has a moment of respite with someone he – hopefully - doesn’t regret trusting enough to show feelings for.

She gently places her hands on Megatron’s face, getting as far under his helm as she can comfortably manage, and as her palms rest on his cheeks, she looks at his face lovingly, her mind full of thoughts about how every curve of his helm and every feature of his face is so dear to her. She doesn’t think she had ever allowed herself to fall in love so completely, so helplessly and vulnerably, but even if it ends up hurting her in the end, she’ll take it if this is how it feels to give all of your love to someone you admire and adore from the bottom of your heart. Because - to her, right now, in this moment - Megatron deserves nothing less than to feel how it is be cared for and loved completely. Adored and treasured. She looks over the warlord’s face as he seems to study her expression with what could be interpreted as a trace of wonder, and to that Y/n only smiles gently, her e/c eyes warm and calm in her knowledge of how precious this mech is to her. The young woman carefully tries to pull his helm down to her level and the lord obediently obliges as if still in a daze. It is when she touches his lips with hers and wraps her arms around his neck when Megatron seems to snap out of it and gathers her in his arms in an embrace that is close to being too tight and it’s so perfect that she wishes it would never end _._

 

 

*******

 

 

After they have rested, the time has finally come for Y/n to open her present from him.

If he is honest with himself, he is a bit worried. He decided in favour of a sizeable present this time. Well, it didn’t really require any shanix on his part, just human money and his time to figure out human documentation protocol, but his lover will surely view it as a very expensive and extravagant gift. But it was something he had caught her visiting several times and when he once tagged along he noticed her looking at it with a certain dreaming longing, not to mention her telling him everything she knew about it. And though he couldn’t for the life of him understand the logic in wanting something like that aged old thing instead of the same thing but new, he hoped Y/n would be happy when she realised she now owned the thing.

 

If she didn’t like it, well, he could give her literally anything else on the Earth that she wanted.

But he hoped he could delight and impress her with this.

 

His lover currently sits on the centre of the bed, her legs crossed. On her lap is a box. It’s about half a meter in both length and width and about twenty centimetres in height, the box itself is in Y/n’s favourite colour with the ribbon around it being her second favourite colour. He had seen to it that a human in one of those ‘mall’ places packed it with proper care so that it looked presentable. After all, after Y/n’s presents he felt like he owed her a present packaging that looked properly Terran for once. Megatron sits right behind his lover, his legs on either side of her, one of his servos resting on her knee while her back is pressing against his chassis. There’s no other way he would have it, really – he finds it especially difficult not to be as close to Y/n as possible today, especially after their recent interface as well as the moments of very intimate closeness that came after. His EM field still lit up at the briefest memory of the way the young woman looked at him and the way she touched him as if he wasn’t something built to withstand the fires of fiercest battles and the dirtiest brutality of the pits, but the most treasured thing Primus had ever created. And while he looked at Y/n with all the love his spark could harbour, it was still amazing to him that he got the same in return. Maybe, because he knew he had lied his way into it, but methods were not important. This was his and he would kill anyone who would try to take this away from him now.

 

The sound of a rustling ribbon snaps the warlord out of his thoughts and, looking over Y/n’s head, he watches her carefully unwrap her present.

 

“I noticed that it smelled amazing the moment we entered the house and I saw the box on the coffee table,” she shares with a chuckle as her deft fingers find a small knot that ties the underside of the elaborate decorative bow to the ribbon and start undoing it, “But I was too preoccupied to comment on it, you see.”

“Were you, now?” Megatron inquires and smiles smugly, remembering the moment when they entered the cabin, spending only a moment for Y/n to set aside her wings before he swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

“Oh yes, I was. A very handsome mech was kissing me, you see,” the young woman hums, leaning back a bit more and rubbing her back against his chassis in a simple yet endearing display of affection. Her head is on level with his Decepticon insignia, so the warlord lowers is helm and slouches a little so that he can press his lower face against the top of Y/n’s head, her hair silky against the sensitive metal as he makes a satisfied rumbling, almost purring sound. His dear girl chuckles softly and gently pets the servo that he has on her knee before returning to unpacking her gift. Soon, the ribbon and the bow are discarded from the bed, leaving Y/n to only lift the lid of the box.

He should not be unsure of himself, he had seen the evidence to her wanting the thing in the box. Rationally, he should be completely confident. But he feels that a scraplet of doubt will eat away at him until he sees Y/n’s reaction. The very tips of her fingers hook under the lid and she lifts it carefully as Megatron watches intently. The smell of Y/n’s favourite flowers fills the room and he sees her smile. Everywhere, the flowers covered every available space, everywhere…aside from a small box in the middle. It was about the size of a smartphone-case, its purple colour only deepened by the velvet the casing the box was made of.

“Oh, these are my favourite!” the young woman exclaims happily, then turning a bit and looking at him with those e/c eyes he adores so much, “They look so fresh, and they smell  so nice, thank you so much!”

“You are welcome, Y/n,” Megatron nods, smiling at his beloved, letting her return her attention to the main part of the present. She does just that, and as she carefully takes out the smaller box, the warlord steels himself despite everything pointing in his favour. He hates being like this, but on the other hand, he hadn’t ever experienced anything like this when giving presents. Not that he gave many presents in the first place.

 

Finally, the box is opened and they both look into the box to see…a key.

 

It is a rather big key by today’s standards, about the length of a human table knife, but it is not its most distinguishing feature. The key is old, but it’s been polished and restored – the bit wards are in as a perfect condition as can be expected of a century-old, restored key, the stem is smooth and even as is the bow, but the bow has the addition of having engravings on it that became visible now that a layer of rust has been dealt away with. Megatron waits as Y/n sets the box on the bed and takes out the key, inspecting it carefully.

“This…it looks like the key from the old mansion I’ve shown you,” the girl murmurs, surprise and a bit of confusion her voice, “The one near my hometown.”

“It is,” the mech confirms simply, letting Y/n figure it out herself.

The mansion in question is a 19th century long-abandoned building, lost deep in the forest of Y/n’s home country. And, to Megatron’s taste, for a ‘mansion’ it is a rather small one. It has two floors with 6 rooms on each floor, as well as an attic and a cellar, as far as he remembers Y/n telling him once. The warlord knows his lover visited the place several times in these past months - he himself, however, had been there only once. Many things made Megatron wonder why the young woman walked through the halls of that abandoned place with such a nostalgic look on her face. All he saw were overgrown gardens and plant life growing up the stone walls, some dusty, abandoned rooms with old pieces of furniture scattered about, paint that had chipped off the walls and ceiling, and cracked, dusty or missing glass on some windows. Sure, the place looked like it could have been a suitable residence once, the ceilings were high and the staircase that was made of stone and covered with dark wood had been made with noticeably good craftsmanship, as well as having a design that had the landing be against a row of large windows. Why was that last thing good? Because Y/n looked very pleasing to the optic as she stood there, her hand on the dusty yet surprisingly well-preserved wooden handrail, looking down at him with a smile as she urged him to follow her up. Really, Megatron couldn’t give a frag if the place got demolished or restored, or left to continue rotting and crumbling away. What he cared about was Y/n’s wishes. And if his lover wanted that old crumbling thing she had somehow developed an attachment to, so be it.

Truth be told, Megatron was fairly sure she could have bought it herself – after all, all she had to do was tell Soundwave what amount of money she desired and it would be transferred to her, not to mention the money she got from her work with Knockout, as well as indulging the vain doctor’s racing habit. So he knew Y/n possessed the funds. Maybe, she hadn’t thought of it? Or, the more probable reason was that the problem lay with the government classification of the place as ‘historical heritage’ and as such technically under the ownership and care of the state, while in actuality it was left to quietly decompose in the forest in the middle of nowhere. Primus, did he hate going through all the poorly-scanned age-old historical files in the country’s online database, but it did allow him to later hack and edit everything properly, allowing for the documents of purchase and ownership to ‘suddenly appear’ - an unnoticeable addition in the gigabytes and gigabytes of similar data. In Y/n’s desk drawer, he had left a deed to the house as well as a datapad with whatever info on the house he had come across while searching through the digitalised old archives. He had decided that giving her just the key would be more poetic in a way, all else could be looked over later.

 

Also, this was much more entertaining to watch.

 

“Oh!...You restored it!” she turns around, her eyes shining as she still holds the piece of metal in her hands, “That’s so great, the key looks brand new! I wondered if I could’ve saved at least something of the poor place, so this is wonderf-“

Y/n stops as she catches his expression. A raised optic ridge and an amused grin are that things that put her mind on the right track immediately. She changes in expression immediately, her eyes becoming so wide Megatron can’t help but grin more, sharp dentas catching the light of the bedside lamp.

“You didn’t…” she whispers, looking at him as if she had first learned he was an alien.

“I did not what?” the warlord asks, enjoying the reaction. The young woman looks down at the key, then back at him, her shocked expression giving way to a hesitant, unsure one.

“Did you…” she narrows her eyes in suspicion and he straightens his shoulders, putting on the smuggest and most lord-like look he could. It might be an extravagant and even illegal present for a human to make, but for him it was sparkling’s play - he was Megatron. There wasn’t anything on Earth that he couldn’t get her. And while he knew Y/n did not measure the worth of people by what they could give her in a material sense, the knowledge that no other could possibly compare to him in that regard pleased Megatron’s spark greatly.

“Did I, perhaps, secure your ownership of that sad construct of wood and stone that you seemed to sympathise with so much?” Megatron looks away as asks thoughtfully, suddenly playful for some reason, before looking back straight at Y/n, “I did.”

 

Now, Y/n was usually quite eloquent and even when he put her in a tight spot during a conversation, she usually found a clever retort or a joke of at least some calibre. Right now, however, the girl just inhaled and openes her mouth as if ready to say something, before closing it again, exhaling through her nose. Oh, there’s that scraplet of doubt again, for a moment Megatron thought it had left him already. The steel-coloured mech is about to ask if something is wrong when he sees a warm, touched smile finally adorn her face, dispelling his worries.

“You didn’t have to, I-” the girl falls silent before taking one of his servos into her small hands and trying again, shaking her head and chuckling, “Megatron, ‘thank you’ would in no way be enough to properly express my gratitude. What does one say when their partner messes with government databases to get you an abandoned mansion that you’ve only ever dreamt of restoring?”

“Y/n, if you wanted to, I could give you any number of those, both old and new,” he reminds her with a slight nod of his helm, “I would be glad to give you everything you’d ask of me.”

 

Considering, that she only gets this kind of treatment in the first place because he knows that she wouldn’t ever ask for anything unreasonable.

 

“Besides,” he continues, hoping that it would break his poor lover out of her stupor, “I would not have bought you just _a_ house, clearly you wanted that... _relic,_ though Primus only knows wh-“

She’s on his lap so fast that he only sees the blur of her h/c hair when she moves, she hugs him tightly and quickly kisses him on the lips three times before exclaiming, her e/c eyes burning bright:

“Thank you! I just- _Thank you!_ I promise I won’t lock myself in there and turn into a crazy paint-and-lacquer-covered hermit, well not for more than a couple of days at a time least! Oh, and I’ll tell you about any progress in the reconstruction process – if you’re interested, that is! The foundation and the footing of the mansion are still in such amazing condition, and the load-bearing walls, the walls-!”

She now hangs off his neck, her arms around it and it is one of the most adorable things he had ever seen in his entire existence, so much so that her happy laughter prompts his own deep, breathy laugh.

“You do not have to thank me that much, dear Y/n. Though, if you include a chair for someone of my holoform’s stature in your house once it is complete I would be grateful,” the mech tells her, his throat cables vibrating as he is trying not to laugh while talking. He strokes her side affectionately and then suddenly lifts her up in his arms for no other reason than because that’s what he felt like doing.

“Wa-hah!” the girl exclaims in surprise and delight before grinning at him happily, “And of course! Chairs, couches, a bed fit for a lord.”

“Yes, that last bit is very important indeed,” Megatron agrees, smirking as his servo squeezes Y/n’s bare thigh with playfulness he would have never expected from himself before.

“My lord~” the young woman coos, throwing him a playfully charming look, “Are you up to something?”

“As I’ve told you, darling,” the mech replies, raising an optic ridge, his voice low and suggestive, “Whatever you ask for, I shall gladly give you. Especially on your Birthday. Care to ask?”

“Well, darling,” Y/n hums thoughtfully, slowly dragging her hand up his neck and under his chin, his optics half-closing in satisfaction as she slowly pulls his face closer to hers and then drags a thumb over his lower lip, “I think I can think of something…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron decided to be flashy with presents this time. Just because he can and he won't let you forget it. Also, the present will play a role later in the story. Hehe. 
> 
> Also, this chapter is 9.284 words long. Whoops.


	44. Opera Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter describing events that happened in January and February.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh you thought we were done with winter chapters?...Me too, actually. But my hand slippedXD Blame Megatron.

 

 

 

It was the evening of the **4th of January** when Y/n had left her room all dolled up. Her hair was styled elegantly, pearl and diamond earrings glinted from between h/c strands. A black evening dress and a pretty pearl necklace were noticeable under her long light-grey coat, some kind of fur adorning the collar and the sleeves of the outerwear. Her black knee-high boots had a good 7 centimetres in heel height and clicked nicely as the young woman walked down the dark halls of the Nemesis.

 

[This is stupid, just ask her,] his partner messaged him through their comm channel.

But Knockout was too smart to do that. The medic quickly tucked his helm back behind a corner where the two were hiding and gave Breakdown an unimpressed look.

[If we ask her, she won´t tell us the truth!] he explained, listening to the sound of the girl´s heels in the distance.

[Why do you think so, she´s been pretty straightforward with us until now,] the blue bruiser reasoned and Knockout swore he could be just too precious for his own good sometimes.

[Maybe, but there´s just this, I don´t know, EM field around her. As an _expert_ in all things love-related, I am betting she´s in love with someone!]

[Or maybe she’s just in a good mood lately.]

[Trust me, sweetspark, doll has someone that makes her get that dreamy look in her eye whenever she thinks we´re not watching.]

[Is this how we´re spending our day off? Welp, as long as you´re happy I guess.]

[You're the perfect mech <3 Now let's go! We need too 'accidentally' be walking by when Y/n tells Soundwave where to 'bridge her.]

[I swear, sometimes I feel like I live in one of those human sitcoms...]

 

Once Y/n was gone and the light of an open groundbridge stopped colouring Soundwave´s workplace walls in green and blue, Knockout rushed to his and Breakdown´s habsuite, already searching for a location close to Y/n´s, where he could ask Soundwave to send their holomatter avatars. Breakdown followed, hoping to Primus Y/n didn´t find out about this.

 

They took a groundbridge to Y/n´s hometown, sighing in relief as the portal closed behind them. They had played out a little theatrical piece for Soundwave, coming up to his station while casually talking about wanting to visit the bar they had caused trouble in a while ago that _coincidentally_ was in Y/n´s hometown. They approached the communications officer and Knockout – smooth as usual – asked him to open a groundbridge for them because, well, it was too much of a hassle to walk all the way to where they could order some Vehicons to do it. Breakdown told him they were just going to have a little fun on their day off, mentioning that the mech probably heard them talking anyway just then. Soundwave – unnervingly giant compared to their human avatars – just looked at them for a moment that felt like a stellar cycle and then silently opened a groundbridge for them. They nonchalantly thanked him for his assistance and reminded that they are, of course, always free in case the glorious lord Megatron needed them for anything, before disappearing into the portal.

“He´s a hundred times creepier when we´re like this, I have no idea how and why such a small thing like Y/n likes to hang out with that guy,” Knockout said, brushing off non-existent dust off his jacket´s shoulder to try and get rid of the lingering nervousness Soundwave had caused.

“Considering she serves Megatron as his ´conversation and tour guiding on demand´, I think she´s pretty much immune to everything else by now,” Breakdown reminded as he looked around the alley in which they appeared.

“Talk about stressful occupation,” Knockout agreed, sighing, “I mean, at least as long as she does a good job the big guy will be less likely to blast us with his damn fusion cannon because of a fragged up recharge schedule or his very prominent anger issues…And that´s why it´s good that she has someone who she can relieve some stress of her own with, hmhmm~”

“I´m telling you, it´s gonna be her girlfriends or something.”

“I don´t care if she has a trine of girlfriends, I´m telling you it´s _someone_.  A guy, a girl, a polygamist thing with 10 people – though Y/n strikes me as a one-lover kind of girl – she has _someone.”_

“Sure, pretty mech.”

“You´ll see!”

 

 

…

 

 

“See! I told you!”

“Okay, I think I believe you now.”

 

The alien couple watched Y/n from across the road, their enhanced sight allowing them to see at a considerable distance. The young woman was currently in a watch shop and deciding on a gift box for a watch that she had just bought. The watch, before it was bought, was displayed in the section of the shop that was clearly labelled ´Gentlemen´. The two men hurried off towards the corner of the street when they saw that Y/n was about to exit the shop, they then carefully looked back to see in which direction she went – in the opposite of theirs, just their luck – and discreetly followed her. They soon decided to use a strategy of pursuit that they used in the field, as in Knockout quickly gained on the target and watched from the side while Breakdown held back and continued monitoring from behind the target.

[Just make sure she doesn´t spot you.]

[Will do. Breakdown, she´s definitely texting with him, she´s smiling and biting her lip in a very cute way.]

[Hehe, well I guess our Y/n really is dating someone, huh? Can´t wait to see the guy.]

[He better be handsome.]

[ _We_ better not get found out.]

[Oh look, Breakdown – the fear of all wreckers – is scared of a little girl~]

Before Breakdown had the opportunity to reply that the ´little girl´ was not only able to throw pretty damn icy glares, but also spent time with both _Megatron_ and _Soundwave_ , the couple saw Y/n enter a park that was located near a big building that looked like it was from another time period compared with most of the buildings in the city centre.

[Just searched the human datanet. It´s an opera house! Y/n´s having a very cultured date…]

[Don´t run ahead, wait a sec!]

[Hurry hurry!]

 

Breakdown joined Knockout and both of them walked into the park. Snow covered the ground, the trees and the benches but they had no time to either admire or criticise the abundance of frozen water all around – they were so close to uncovering the mystery! The duo spotted Y/n in the distance and followed, trying to choose paths that wouldn´t put them in her direct line of sight but still offered them a good opportunity to observe.  Eventually – caught up in the excitement of their little spying game – the doctor and his assistant hid behind a tree that was almost as wide as Breakdown´s avatar´s shoulders. The poor man had to stand sideways to avoid being spotted, but it was worth it because they had a perfect view of the young woman who was currently standing next to a fountain, clearly waiting for someone. Breakdown could feel his partner almost vibrate with anticipation and by now he was also really curious about who Y/n´s mystery man was. Even if spying on friends wasn´t really the bruiser´s thing. But Knockout – as always – managed to not only drag him into participating in his ideas but also make Breakdown enjoy it. Knockout, on his part, felt Breakdown trying his best not to move and made a mental note to later reward his partner for such dedication to the mission. As his cognac eyes were focused on watching their small friend, the medic found the other man´s side with his hand and affectionately patted it. The same hand then suddenly grabbed Breakdown´s with such force that the larger man barely managed not to yelp.

“Oh come on…” Knockout said through gritted teeth as a couple of humans decided to carry a large advertisement banner right in front of where Y/n was standing, obscuring the girl from view. Like a critically injured mech with his lower half blown off, time dragged on seemingly endlessly. Who even needed banners that long to advertise cat food?! Just before Knockout was about to lose it and Breakdown´s hand was about to become a worrying shade of blue, the humans and their banner finally went away…

 

Revealing the sight of Y/n hugging a man! Tightly, too!

 

The man was seemingly quite a bit older than their friend, and even looked familiar somehow. Had they already met him somewhere? Had he appeared in Y/n’s photos, maybe? In any case, Knockout made another mental note – to tease Y/n about her liking experienced lovers. Or maybe he should tease her about having a thing for ´well preserved antiques´? Oh, he was just too excited to choose right now. The duo dialled up their avatars´ hearing capabilities to eleven and listened closely as they watched what would come next. In a matter of seconds, the medic´s smug smirk dropped and Breakdown´s shoulders began to twitch as he desperately tried not to burst out laughing.

 

 _“ARE YOU FRAGGING KIDDING ME?!”_ Knockout exclaimed, causing Y/n to turn around, her eyes focusing on him immediately. The man who by now has let go of her looked over in their direction too, and so did the woman who previously was obscured from them by the man’s larger frame.

“Eh, howdy, Mr. and Mrs. L/n,” Breakdown greeted the older man and woman as he walked out from behind the tree, grinning so wide his human cheeks hurt.

“The watch was for your DAD?” Knockout still couldn´t calm down, walking towards the young woman as if she was the one who was caught doing something ridiculous. He would realise his mistake soon. Y/n´s father looked at his daughter, slightly surprised.

“You got me a watch?” he asked and the Nemesis´s resident human threw him a sweet smile.

“Yes, Happy Birthday, dad. I thought it would be a nice little _surprise,_ ” Y/n´s voice darkened at the last word as she returned her attention to the alien couple – her demeanor was calm, but the gaze of her e/c eyes was so intense that it made Breakdown gulp and laugh nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Knockout, done looking over the girl´s parents, looked back and seemed to finally realise that he done fragged up.

“Mrs. L/n, you look simply divine today,” the doctor said, turning up the charm to save himself. Their friend´s mother smiled and thanked him, so the medic decided to do the same with the father. As his gaze travelled to the man, however, it got caught on Y/n's face, noticing that her eyes had begun to ever so faintly show a familiar blue glow.

“And can I compliment your very respectable-looking father before you kill me?” Knockout asked, still holding on to his charming smile like a lifeline.

“You just did. Thank you,” the man behind Y/n said curtly, leaving the duo with no other choice than to face their friend, who gave them a patient look that contrasted heavily with the sparks of blue in her eyes.

“Why Louis, Tom, hello. Mom, dad, these are the friends from the medbay I told you about. What a _coincidence_ meeting you here.”

“Hi,” Breakdown spoke up, giving her a little wave of hand, “Yeah, eh, crazy coincidence, right?”

 

Y/n crossed her arms and tapped her foot wordlessly and it was obvious her parents weren´t buying it either. Well, this was embarrassing. Weren’t humans supposed to be stupid and easy to trick?

 

“Fine, _fine,_ you win,” the Italian-looking man said, trying to sound nonchalant as he raised his hands, shrugged and shook his head with a chuckle, “The truth is, we were worried for our dear Y/n here.”

“Oh?” said female asked, slightly raising an eyebrow and both her parents did the same thing, the similarities in facial features between the two humans and Y/n really messing with Knockout.

“We wanted to see who your mystery lover was, we´re sorry,” Breakdown finally admitted, knowing that their friend would likely appreciate the straightforwardness.

“Yes, that,” Knockout agreed, deciding to not mess with the sound decision of his partner… _But he had to know if he was right, though!_ So he put on the sincerest expression of ´worried for a friend´ he could manage and addressed the friendlier of the two progenitors, “Maybe you know who they are, Mrs. L/n?”

The woman gave them both a warm smile, but shook her head.

“I can´t say I know anything about that. Y/n, sunshine, are you seeing someone?”

“Not that I am aware of,” Y/n hummed thoughtfully, her eyes having returned to normal, but somehow that fact didn´t bring Breakdown too much peace of mind, “Thank you for being so caring. I´ll tell _boss_ I feel very safe with the two of you so selflessly using your free to watch over me.”

“Y/n, doll, that´s really unnecessary,” Knockout said smoothly, but the chuckle he gave right after was not as confident as he wanted it to be. Breakdown nodded enthusiastically. The young woman slowly looked from the medic to his assistant and back, giving them a pleasant, totally-not-menacing smile.

“Tell you what. You go have a nice day off, and if you really want me to mention you to the boss you can just do this one more time. One time and he’ll be hearing about you all day.”

“Got it, we were just going to that one bar, you know the one,” the larger man agreed readily. He saw that Knockout definitely did not like being threatened in front of some organics, the fact of him being wrong about Y/n´s date having made him salty enough already, but – to the doctor´s credit – he managed to put on a confident, suave expression.

“Sure, doll. Enjoy your evening and happy birthday, Mr. L/n.”

“Yeah, Happy Birthday,” Breakdown quickly added, already taking a step back to leave the place that was witness to their embarrassment.

 

After the father curtly thanked them and Y/n´s mother politely invited them to come by for a cup of tea or coffee sometime, the duo walked off into the direction that was opposite from where Y/n said her family would go. As soon as they walked some distance away, Breakdown snickered.

 

 _“Don´t,”_ his partner warned, but only succeeded in making him laugh in earnest.

“Told ya.”

“Sweetspark, shut uuup~”

“Told. Ya.”

“I´m sure she has her optic on someone, okay!”

“Well if she does, I think she won´t tell us anytime soon after this. Let her be, Knockout, she´ll tell us when she wants to.”

“Ngh. _Fine._ For now, at least. Okay, mister wise mech, fancy visiting that bar after all?”

“Only if you allow me to buy you a drink.”

“Hmm~ You sure know how to make a mech feel appreciated.”

 

 

 ...

 

 

A bit later, Y/n was sitting in a restaurant with her parents, her father wearing the watch that she had given him, the platinum reflecting the light of the room as he and the rest of the family laughed while discussing the incident in the park.

“And you told us they were smart,” the man said with a smirk and his daughter chuckled.

“No, I said they were professionals. I also said they were agents of chaos. And occasionally – like today – they are idiots.”

“So we saw,” Mrs. L/n covered her mouth as she giggled – she seemed to be the one most amused by what happened, having asked her daughter to try and bring the two over to their house sometime.

“Truth is, I knew the two chucklefu _-lalai-_ cks, were following me the whole time,” Y/n stated, placing her elbows on the table and letting her chin rest on her intertwined fingers. That prompted her parents to ask how that was possible.

“Well, firstly, they were anything but stealthy,” she explained, adding to herself that it was pretty much impossible to be stealthy when you are a giant robot trying to be sneaky in an empty corridors made out of metal, “And, secondly, our communications officer warned me that the two were probably up to shenanigans.”

“Oh, we should definitely invite Max’s friend too sometime,” the older woman chimed in, obviously curious about all of the new people Y/n now spent time with, “He seems like a very nice person.”

“Sure, invite _everyone_ ,” Mr. L/n smirked, “Let’s have a big party. Ought to be a whole lot of fun. We´ll send the bill for the house damage to Max, though.”

"He’d be _delighted_ to receive it,” Y/n chuckled, shaking her head as she imagined _that_ scenario. Yeah, better not.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

It’s the **7 th of January** and the sun is shining brightly in the clear azure skies above a remote part of north Sweden’s forest. Gigantic pine and fir trees stretch to the skies, their branches heavy with the snow that richly covers them and the forest floor below. A bullfinch sits on one of these branches, its head turning quickly as it hears something in the distance. Suddenly it takes off, flapping its small wings rapidly as it flies away, leaving the branch to sway, some of the heavier clumps of snow falling off.  

A moment later, a young woman jumps out from between the trees and lands into the snow, the crystallised water coming up to her knees as she stands up straight and looks back to where she came from. Her hair is slightly messy with some pine needles sticking out here and there and her e/c eyes are wide open in adrenaline-filled excitement. She grins as Megatron walks out from between the trees, his holoform covered in small branches and the odd pine cone even despite him deciding to use his human-looking avatar instead of his more bulky mech one. The lord of the Decepticons doesn’t look too pleased, but there’s a fire in his dark red eyes that makes Y/n continue this game that they’ve started. The Cybertronian game is called Tear’n’chase and could be described as a weird blend of Earth games of hide-and-seek and tag. The rules are pretty simple – the runner runs off and the chaser follows some time later. The chaser has to find and catch up with the runner. The chaser wins if they catch or at least touch the runner and the runner wins if they find a way past the chaser and touch the starting point.

So here they were, Y/n running and Megatron chasing. Never in her life would the girl think the mech would want to engage in this type of game with her, until now he treated all similar things as foolishness that he was too serious and busy of a mech to engage in. But the conversation they were having while on a walk turned to mutual teasing, then a challenge from Y/n and the warlord’s pride just couldn’t allow him to accept that the girl was much faster than him while they are of equal size. Not without proof, at least. For the safety of the nature around them, it was decided that there would be no climbing trees by the young woman and no using his mech form by Megatron. The first rule was there because tear’n’chase was all about running (or driving) only, the second – because Megatron’s avatar’s servos  - while small relative to his actual servos – could still deal enough damage to cut down some trees, one devastating strike enough to shatter trunks where hit. And while the alien lord had no qualms about bringing down every single tree in the forest if it got Y/n down from them and brought him victory, the girl reasoned that they should probably try and leave the forest in the same state it was in when they had entered it. So no mech form and no tree-climbing.

 

Y/n looks at the man standing between two old pine trees and smirks.

“So? Ready to accept that I’m faster?”

Megatron’s eyes narrow and he takes a step forward.

“While fast, I do not remember seeing you win yet,” he reminds and the young woman chuckles, yet slowly takes a step back. Megatron may be slower than her, but his avatar was still much faster than regular humans and he still had enough of a threatening aura around him for her not to underestimate him. He had found her extremely fast despite her attempts to confuse him with her footprints on the snow, telling her how easy it was for him to see through the deception. While rough around the edges where emotionally intimate relationships were concerned, his survival and combat skills were horrifyingly polished. Y/n starts to run again, the sound of her chaser’s feet sinking into the thick layer of snow clearly telling her where he is without her needing to look back. She could have ended the game a while ago, but it was just so fun having the warlord chase her, to feel her heart beat rapidly as the alien gave her a workout no human could ever have given her. But Megatron is right, she hadn’t yet won. Time for her to change that and maybe show off a little in the process. After all, most of what she did looked unimpressive from a height of almost eleven meters, but while the Decepticon lord was using an avatar there was a chance of impressing him. So Y/n runs faster, grabbing onto a tree trunk and turning sharply to run around her lover. She easily jumps over fallen trees and big piles of snow, the sound of breaking branches behind her only adding adrenaline to her system. Finally, she reaches the clearing where they had started on, runs to a tree stump, jumps and taps it as she’s in the air. Her landing makes the fresher layer of snow fly up, the snowflakes glittering in the sunlight. The girl dusts off her shoulder in demonstrative manner as she stands up straight, she then looks back to see  Megatron only now stepping out into the clearing some fifteen meters away from her. He gives her a look that is both contemplating and approving and starts approaching slowly.

  
“Now then, I believe you owe me an acknowledgement of my abilities,” Y/n chuckles as she watches him. It is then that she notices that the look that he was giving her – the look that a predator gives prey – still hasn't vanished from his eyes and it makes her laugh nervously.

“Come now, the game is over,” she reminds, taking a step back. The man starts walking faster and she takes another step back, not sure if she should run. It may be fun if she runs but, at the same time, the look her lover is giving her makes her feel a very specific kind of way that makes her want to get caught. She instinctively makes two quick steps back when the man passes the tree stump that was their game’s starting point, but the moment her second step lands he’s suddenly right in front of her, blocking out the sun with his impressive height and broad shoulders. The only thing she notices is the red flash in his eyes before she finds herself lying in the snow, his lips crashing onto hers as he has her pinned beneath him. The young woman kisses back without even thinking about it, her first instinct being to finally move her body towards her lover after having to run away from him for so long. His lips are cold but the moment his tongue slips between her lips it feels searing hot, and Y/n buries her fingers in his light-silver, almost white hair as she holds the man close. His hands are on the back of her head and inside her jacket, stoking her side through the material of her sweater. When the kiss ends, she looks up at him, her cheeks rosy, her eyes clearly reflecting how hopelessly in love she is and he looks at her as if she was the most precious, treasured thing he had ever encountered in all his years alive. His gaze is heavy with how much possessiveness there is to it, how much adoration as well. Slowly, she brings the man back down, the both of them taking their time to savour the kiss now.

“You are truly remarkable,” Megatron says softly, his breath hitting her lips and Y/n smiles into the kiss that comes right after. She’ll gladly accept that way of acknowledging her abilities even though she knows the man probably means it in more ways than that. The young woman feels her lover’s body change under her hands and as she opens her eyes and meets the intense gaze of crimson optics, she makes a soft, pleased sound almost like a croon. The mech’s gaze becomes even more affectionate – it was no secret to Y/n that Megatron cherished the fact that she didn’t love his human-looking avatar more than his natural-looking one.  And the young woman was happy to remind him of it every time, she thinks as the mech kisses her once again.

 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

On the **18 th of January**, at about 20:14, Soundwave finds himself in his hab suite, resting before a self-imposed night shift, when he gets a message:

_Y/n: Hey! :) You in your room?_

 

The spymaster is secretly glad he would get the chance to spend some time with the human girl – Y/n had become someone who understood his unique interaction preferences and who he could spend time with without it being a strain on his reserved nature. Plus, Laserbeak had developed a friendship with her. Before, Y/n would sometimes spend the night at Soundwave’s work station, the both of them just doing their own thing and occasionally sharing glances or brief conversation. In the last two months, however, the young woman’s night-time was almost exclusively shared with Megatron. For _obvious reasons._  Soundwave was glad for both Y/n and, especially, his old friend. Besides, it opened up more time for work or the occasional flight, or even some free time on the human internet. He and Y/n usually spent time together during daytime whenever the communications officer wasn’t too busy and the girl wasn’t exploring her planet or out with the Decepticon lord or her other friends. So the fact that Y/n would visit him before he would head off to work and she – probably – back to her cabin, is a good thing. A very effective way to help him relax a bit before work. And Soundwave is all about effectiveness and efficiency.

 

 

_Affirmative. You are welcome to come over._

 

_Y/n: Marvellous! Will be there soon :D_

 

_:)_

 

_Y/n: Please teach Megatron how to type out smileys._

 

_Negative. Probability of failure – 100%_

 

_Y/n: :’D_

 

_:)_

 

 

 

For an astrosecond, Soundwave imagines taking off his mask, coming up to his old friend, putting a servo on his shoulder and, as he looks the other ex-gladiator in the optic, say ‘Start typing out smileys in conversations with your human lover’. The confused expression that would get him would probably be the highlight of the vorn for Soundwave. But he would rather not. Plus, both he and Y/n once came to a conclusion that if the warlord did end up using a smiley face, the universe would probably collapse on itself.

Sensors pick up the presence someone at his door and Soundwave stands up from his berth, walks up to the entrance to his hab suite and opens the door…

 

 

Three things happen simultaneously. Soundwave's optics blink in surprise under his mask, Y/n smiles innocently, a group consisting of several Vehicons, Knockout and Breakdown scream _“Happy Emergence Day, commander!!!”._

 

 

As their scream echoes throughout the halls, Soundwave looks at the small gathering before his door, his helm slightly tilting to the side. He is presented with a few gifts that are left at his pedes by nervous troops and some end up in his servos, presented by the medic, his assistant(Breakdown gives him two – one is from Y/n) and two brave Vehicons. He nods, looking over each mech slowly, not quite sure what he should do. Ironically, the confused one today ended up being him. He feels the others - save for Y/n, who is hovering in the air, watching things unfold with curiosity - getting nervous at his reaction to the congratulations.  These things have happened on a couple of occasions during the vorns, but this time – for some reason – he decides to try a little harder to respond to such a thing accordingly.

When he flashes a smiling emoticon, Knockout gives a nervous chuckle – this is nothing new, Soundwave is aware that the medic seems unnerved by him – and the others suck in air in surprised gasps before Breakdown flashes the spymaster a big grin and habitually reaches out to probably pat him on the shoulder like he does with most members of the crew, but reconsiders half-way, instead giving Soundwave a thumbs up while still smiling. The Vehicons, having come to their senses, seem to be having a rather positive reaction at the communications officer’s actions – they congratulate him again and again excitedly and upon realising that they are now repeating themselves hurry to leave the scene while nudging each other with their elbows. 

“Congrats again, commander,” Knockout smirks as he shifts his weight to one leg and crosses his arms.

“Come over to the bar sometimes, first drink’s on us,” Breakdown adds and his expression of friendliness is more believable.

 

The two remaining mechs leave right after and Soundwave is left with only Y/n hovering in front of him. Her expression is more uncertain now, but still obviously warm and friendly.

“I hope you’re not mad,” she says, smiling apologetically as she rubs her upper left arm, “I mentioned to the Vehicons I was visiting you today to congratulate you and they revealed that some of them admire you a lot, but never had the nerve to tell you ‘Happy Birthday’ in person because they’ve heard you glare at people who do that.”

How do you determine that one is glaring under a mask without optic-holes?

  
“So I told them ‘Well as long as he is not issuing you an official warning or pointing weapons at you, you can't be sure he's glaring at you under that mask’,” Y/n chuckles and shrugs and Soundwave momentarily contemplates the coincidence of them having the same line of thought at the same time,  
“So, anyway, I hope this wasn’t unpleasant for you. I’m sorry if it was, I’ll tell them not to do that in the future if so.”

The dark-framed mech, holding his presents with one arm, reaches out with his free servo and very carefully puts the tip of his spindly digit on the girl’s head. This kind of head patting was initially his (in retrospection, very awkward) way of showing his good attitude towards the human, but by now it became something of an inside joke between them and a way for him to either tell her she did good or to try and alleviate her worries. The winged human sighs in relief, sinks her head into her shoulders and smiles, closing her eyes in satisfaction in an imitation of an Earth feline and it – very briefly – makes him think of Ravage. Soundwave lowers his servo and, after picking up the rest of his unexpected presents with his tentacles, nods to Y/n to come in as he retreats into the hab suite. A thought occurs to him.

 

[Observation: Orbital cycle of emergence begins in 3 hours, 34 minutes,] he displays on his mask as he starts to put the boxes and weirdly-shaped bundles onto his desk. Did Y/n know he was about to go work and decide to congratulate him beforehand? Or did she have other plans for tomorrow?

The young woman chuckles as she lands on the desk and looks up at him, e/c eyes looking into his optics despite not being able to see them.

“On Earth. On Cybertron, it’s 26…27 minutes into your Birthday. Emergence day. So happy Emergence day, Soundwave,” she clarifies and Soundwave pauses his task of setting down gifts, looking at the human intently. Some, like Knockout, would consider the lingering silent stare threatening but Y/n’s had put in the time to study his frame language and is accepting of his habits, so she just gives him a bright smile and a slight flutter of wings as she clasps her hands behind her back. Finally, the blackness of the Decepticon spymaster’s mask is replaced by purple and red as he displays a smiley face for her and nods in understanding and gratitude.

 _[ T h a n k  y o u , ]_ he displays on his mask right after and Cybertronian hieroglyphs feel appropriate to use right now. Megatron’s lover smiles warmly and nods, and Soundwave records this exchange between them. He is not sure why he sometimes does that, perhaps because he knows that at some point – inevitably – the human will find out about Megatron’s and the rest of the crew’s deceit. Whatever would happen then, Soundwave wanted to have something to remind him that there were some good moments on the third planet from this system’s sun. Besides, Laserbeak would probably need the recordings too. He’s done setting his presents down on the table and his helm turns slowly as he looks over them. Well, he hadn’t been expecting this today. This is…nice. Unusual, not really needed or exceptionally useful, but nice. It was one thing to be in the know that the troops seem to harbour respect for him, and another to be given tokens of appreciation. Whenever that happened in the past, it was - not overly, but still - pleasant for him. Even if it seems that most others developed the opinion that he hated it. He reaches out and his long, thin digits touch the small box that was Y/n’s gift. Well, ‘small’ was a relative term – for the girl it was a large box, but for someone eight meters tall like him, the dimensions of 1m x 1m were just perfect to comfortably hold in his digits. Tilting his head slightly, he studies the small square box.

It is made of some glass-like material and is completely black in color. Soundwave holds the box in one servo as he traces the smooth surface his index digit. A quick search of the internet makes him believe that this material is obsidian - a naturally occurring volcanic glass that is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. Interesting. The box is completely smooth and its surface reflects the glow of the framing around his mask. Looking at the barely visible horizontal slit going along the middle of the box, the spymaster turns the gift around slowly and deduces that the box is meant to be opened manually by lifting the top part. Truth be told, he enjoys taking his time to study things like this, to search up what they are made of and how they are meant to be used. Maybe that is why Y/n stays so silent and when the mech looks over at her, she only nods to the box with calm encouragement, seemingly enjoying watching him.

Soundwave looks back to the gift and, after admiring it’s simple yet elegant design, carefully grabs the top part of the box with two digits and slowly lifts it. The lid opens up and then swings back, staying there due to embedded magnets it seems. He doesn’t get to think on the mechanical specs of the box, because music reaches his audials. The sounds are high-pitched, mechanical in nature and he instantly recognises the melody. It’s one of his favourites, ‘In The Light Of Luna-1’– a piece that was composed in the ancient age when the Thirteen still ruled Cybertron. This melody was a gift from a now nameless composer to Onyx Prime, the ‘Lord of Beasts’, and was inspired by the sights one got to see during that time if one was granted the honour of visiting the said Prime’s gardens at night. Crystals glowing, illuminating one’s path as the flora around was bathed in the light-blue light of one of Cybertron’s two moons – Luna-1. Long before the war, before any of the now living and warring Cybertronians emerged from the Well of All Sparks, before natural satellites became military bases or sites of science experiments, Luna-1 and Luna-2 were unpopulated, serving much the same purposes as the Earth’s moon did for the human-populated planet now. And in the light of this untouched satellite, one could see the life that went on in Onyx Prime’s gardens if one was quiet and observant enough. Night-time cyberflora reaching out to the gentle bluish light, crystals shining, nocturnal cyberfauna skittering, prowling and flying in the shadows, sometimes appearing in the light to leave the observer breathless and then disappear the next moment. That was ‘In The Light Of Luna-1’, one Soundwave’s favourite pieces. He had never heard it in this form, played by this peculiar mechanism in the box. As far as Soundwave could see through the glass that covered the mechanism, it included a revolving cylinder of some kind that had a set of pins places onto it, the pins plucking the thin teeth of a steel comb, producing the sounds.

The mech looks at the young woman as the melody continues to play. This is a very thoughtful gift. Probably one of the most thoughtful ones he had ever received – both the design and the function was specifically targeted at him, which is what made it so special. Soundwave did have a habit of putting much worth in material things – living in Kaon and then during the war had taught him that things could be taken away, broken, lost or booby-trapped, so it was a good strategy not to get attached. The policy worked on both possessions and bots, too. Still, Soundwave was a living being with a beating spark. Like most on the Nemesis, he had his ‘secret stash’ of things that were valuable to him, things that, if lost, would be missed. There weren’t many of those things, but Soundwave thinks that this gift is very likely to become a new addition.

Soundwave carefully closes the box and, in the ensuing silence, puts it on the desk before reaching out and focusing his attention on Y/n. He deploys one of his tentacles and as it nears the human girl, he spreads the feelers on the end of the metal appendage and moves them slightly in invitation. Y/n understands and, with a soft chuckle, reaches out and grabs the metal tentacle in a unique kind of handshake, letting the feelers close around her small human hand. He gives a gentle shake and nods, hoping that the young woman understands that he’s grateful. By her expression, he concludes that she does. Y/n tells him about human music boxes and how they work; mentions that as long as it is taken care of, it will serve Soundwave for a long while. On the inside of the box is a wind-up mechanism, Y/n had made sure that it is large enough for Soundwave’s digits to turn. A wind-up mechanism? The spymaster opens the box once more and carefully tries to use it, making sure not to apply too much strength to the device that looks like a human key that got stuck in a keyhole. The box stops making music, instead quietly clicking as Soundwave winds it up, and the moment he lets go the music returns. _Interesting._  The mech had a liking of Cybertronian antiques, but this old-fashioned Earth device was also very fascinating. There was something about the ability of this primitive thing to make music not digitally, but mechanically, that spoke to Soundwave.

They proceed to open the other gifts – the spymaster acknowledges them and makes note of who gave him what, wondering where he should put all of this now. Despite that small bother, it was a pleasant surprise to receive presents. Especially considering that the Vehicons in question were regular soldiers and ship maintenance staff, and as such didn’t have much to give but still tried. And since Knockout and Breakdown were recent additions to the Nemesis, Soundwave did not expect them wanting to give him anything. He was wrong, apparently. That did not happen often.

They spend some more time with Y/n after until someone appears at the door. It’s one of the Vehicons from earlier, the one that goes by the informal designation 'Steve'. The mech acts nervous, his vocaliser almost slipping into static as he greets Soundwave who just stands there, unmoving, waiting for the Vehicon to explain why he brought a cooling cart full of highgrade Energon cubes to his door. It’s then that the girl flies up to them and tells Soundwave that it was her arrangement, then asks him to let 5T3V3 bring the crate in. She can’t see, but the spymaster is slightly confused. He allows the Vehicon to enter, leave the cart in the middle of the room and then awkwardly retreat. As soon as the doors close behind him, Soundwave questions Megatron’s lover as to why she would arrange for such an amount of highgrade to be delivered to his hab suite, an hour before he planned to start working no less. The girl plays dumb at first, but then tells him that the cart was actually not from her, but from the warlord himself. As if summoned by them mentioning him, the Decepticon lord appears at Soundwave’s door, very quickly and very clearly letting his most loyal mech know that today he has an official orbital cycle off, no objections accepted. A sudden day off? Soundwave hadn’t planned on it. What should he do now, he had already rested prior…

 

“Perhaps,” Megatron suggests, gesturing slowly - large sharp digits moving one by one as he opens and closes his servo, “If you are in the mood, we could celebrate. Up for a flight and a drink indoors afterwards?”

Soundwave looks from Megatron to Y/n, who currently sits on the lord’s right shoulder armor. She had known all along that Megatron was planning to do this. Even more probable was that they had developed the course of action together. They planned to have Y/n spend the evening with him until Megatron would come over to replace Soundwave’s work-scheduled time with celebration. The young woman gives the spymaster an encouraging smile.

“Work will always be there tomorrow,” she reminds him gently and while Megatron’s faceplate doesn’t even remotely have the same warm expression as hers, his expecting optics and the approving nod he gives Soundwave say enough. The dark-armoured mech nods and, to get the point across, deactivates the holomatter screen of his workstation. Should anything important happen, he and Megatron would be notified - the spymaster has dozens of security programs currently running. Everything else could wait until tomorrow – after all, he had his orders from the Decepticon leader. He is off the job this orbital cycle. His old friend smirks, satisfied with Soundwave’s decision while Y/n leaves the warlord’s shoulder, now hovering a bit to the side from the Decepticons.

“I’ll leave you mechs to celebrate. Have fun, don’t scare human jet pilots too much while you’re out,” she says, chuckling. She then looks first at Megatron, then Soundwave with a slightly playful smile as she half-bows, “Lord Megatron. Commander Soundwave.”

They both nod, Megatron smirking at the formal address and after that the winged human is gone, leaving them alone.

“Now,” Megatron says, the kindly notes in his deep voice bringing home the fact that this is no work-related meeting, “Where on this strange planet would you like to go for a flight, old friend?...”

 

 

…

 

 

As she reaches her cabin, landing on the porch with practiced precision, the young woman deactivates and folds her wings while a small, calm smile plays on her lips. She walks into the house and, after leaving her wings in the storage room, makes herself some tea and sits down on the couch, her laptop on the coffee table in front of her. As the warm mug rests in her hands, pleasantly warming them, the girl hopes that the two mechs found something fun for Soundwave to do on his birthday. With the horrible reality of war becoming a routine, she always hoped that both Soundwave and Megatron could spend at least some days in a way that would allow their sparks reprieve and their bond a way to stay strong. After all, both mechs didn’t exactly have many other friends.

Taking a small sip of her tea and determining it to still be a little too hot, Y/n puts the mug on the table and is about to put her laptop on her lap when the phone next to her mug suddenly vibrates. Curious, she picks up the device and unblocks it only to see that the message was from Soundwave. It is a breathtakingly beautiful photo of some part of the Earth, taken from far above in the sky at night. All the different lights of the cities and small towns below form a wonderful, sparkling sight that almost looks like an intricate spider web made of white and yelow stars. It makes Y/n hope that the mechs considered the beauty of her planet, at least for a brief moment. A message accompanies the picture, and it is a short one but it makes the young woman smile happily:

 

[Thank you.]

 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

“It would be too often to celebrate it every single stellar cycle,” Megatron reasons as they walk through a park in the evening of the **10 th of February**, the snow that covered everything generously and the bare tree branches making the whole place almost exclusively black and white. Y/n holds onto his arm, her gaze sometimes switching from the scenery around them to look at him – the man liked those moments, he liked catching her in the act and see her smile when it happened.

“Sure, considering that Cybertron’s meta-cycle is about thirteen Earth months, I can see that celebrating your birthdays every year can get a bit too repetitive when your lifespans are long enough for some other species to appear, evolve and then go extinct,” he young woman replies thoughtfully, “But some still celebrate their Birthdays annually, though.”

“If you mean Knockout, he grabs onto _any_ reason to make an orbital cycle about himself,” the warlord rolls his eyes, grumbling. He hears a faint chuckle and feels his lover’s hand momentarily squeeze his upper arm a bit more tightly, it heightens his spirits and he promptly throws the vain medic out of his head.

“Okay, but how often is it appropriate to congratulate someone? Once every five stellar cycles? Once a vorn? Laserbeak’s birthday is in two days, for example, does that mean if you congratulate him this year you skip the next couple of years?” Y/n asks, raising her eyebrows in slight confusion. He thinks about it, then gives a slow shrug.

“There is no ‘proper’ frequency as far as I am aware. It depends on the mech or femme and their preference on getting congratulated. If you do not know their preference, it is usually dependant on how well acquainted you are or want to be. If it is someone you consider your friend, partner or someone you aim to be those things with, you congratulate them every meta-cycle. I doesn’t have to be a grandiose display or the giving of presents, simple congratulations or time spent together are enough in most cases. If it is someone who is just your acquaintance, congratulations now and again are acceptable. You could ask yourself what would you do if everyone you knew – including you yourself - had their birthdays every week. You would probably congratulate and spend some time with your mother or father, but I doubt you would go out of your way every single day of every week to find yet another present for everyone.”

“I see you point,” his lover nods, then takes a deep breath and presses her lips together, “Birthday every week. Yiesh. I guess Knockout _would_ enjoy that.”

“While time doesn’t pass for us differently than it does for you, even if 400 orbital cycles pass between emergence days it still gets tiring to make a big deal out of it after you have lived for a while,” Megatron explains, nodding as he looks at her from the corner of his eye.

“I understand why you would want to spend some of those emergence days alone and away from the ship,” the young woman nods as she looks over the frozen-over pond. He notices her lips part slightly, but then close as Y/n smiles to herself and silently watches some pigeons cross the path in front of them.

“…Yes?” he asks suavely, letting her know that he noticed her hesitance. He usually lets Y/n keep her unspoken thought to herself, but sometimes he is inclined to ask – he is a naturally curious mech, and the more he could learn about his lover’s thought process the better. Besides, it was not like the girl didn’t do the same kind of ‘personality studying’ on him.

“Oh, nothing,” she smiles, throwing him a brief glance before looking to the threes, the branches of their leafless crowns decorated with strings of white and blue LED-light snowflakes, “I was going to tell you that you should still expect congratulations from me next year.”

“Ah,” he utters, quickly catching on to why she did not voice that thought. There was no guarantee that he would still be on Earth by then. Both of them know that he could tell her that he would take her with him, and both of them know that that would be an incredibly hard choice for Y/n to make. A dilemma that she probably thinks about anyway. So, for now, he doesn’t press the subject. They walk around some more, eventually starting a discussion on another topic and, as they talk, Megatron catches his thoughts circling around the question of what it would take to convince Y/n to let him take her away from her home planet when the time to leave eventually comes.

 

 

 


	45. Quiet Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n and Megatron spend an uneventful day in Y/n's cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically an uber-domestic chapter, because who wouldn't want to imagine doing ordinary things while an alien robot is slouched on your couch?

 

 

When Y/n awakes, she realises that today is one of those rare instances when Megatron is there by her side in the morning. She feels the mattress behind herself being pushed down by the weight of the mech’s holomatter body. 'He’s probably reading', the girl makes a sleepy guess as she stays still, enjoying the moment and taking her time to wake up. There is a faint piny smell in the room – that’s from the Christmas tree in the next room, she thinks and smiles as the holiday spirit still lingers in the air. As her consciousness gradually wakes and her thoughts become clearer, she relishes the feeling of warmth she has under the blanket and how the soft texture of the bed linen feels against her bare skin. The young woman remembers the night before – there’s a reason why she is completely naked under the blanket, after all.

 

Oh right. They decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 

They kept a couple ‘traditional’ V-Day things – the first was when Megatron had unexpectedly brought her flowers and the second was, well, the ‘celebration’ in bed at the end of the day. Aside from that, they decided that it has been a while since they’ve been somewhere together, so they spent the day climbing at a mountain range far off from where humans usually braved to go. Well, Megatron did the climbing – the mech seemed to enjoy the activity. Y/n was safely seated where the armor plates met in the centre of his chassis - the warlord had shifted his armor plates slightly so that the distance between the outer and secondary layer of armor was enough that she could fit there comfortably. While her back was pressed against the Decepticon insignia, both her strength and the magnetic gloves she had recently bought provided her with enough grip on the steel-coloured metal to feel safe. As sharp digits and sharp-tipped cloven pedes easily dug into rock for purchase, the couple discussed a variety of things and shared stories, occasionally stopping the conversation to observe whatever fauna they came across. The look Megatron gave her when at the altitude of 2.5 kilometres he came face to face with a mountain goat would stay with Y/n until the day she died. Once the warlord bested another mountain, they would enjoy the view for a while, he would let Y/n walk around on the peak if she so desired, and then came her favourite part. Telling her to hold on tighter, the mech would jump from mountain to mountain, from cliff to cliff as the girl enjoyed the ride with the widest grin on her face and the occasional delighted yelp when Megatron decided to do something risky. It wasn’t that she had no regard for her safety, it was just that she felt completely at ease while with her lover, knowing that whatever happened he would keep her safe. The warlord was powerful, could transform, fly her to safety if needed and blast anything to smithereens with a big scary fusion cannon, after all.

Later that day, they stayed at Y/n’s cabin and watched the Blu-ray edition of John Wick. As far as Y/n remembered, right now it was the movie that was best received by Megatron. Y/n was fairly sure that it was because of the message of delivering swift and merciless revenge onto those who had wronged you. When Y/n asked if the black suit-wearing pet-loving (ex)assassin reminded him of Soundwave even a little bit, Megatron hummed thoughtfully and finally announced that – if faced with a predicament such as John’s – the Decepticon spymaster would make John Wick’s actions look like a slap on the wrist. But he saw her point.

 

And what came after the movie, well…It was really, _really_ good.

 

Y/n finally allows herself to move, stretching and yawning before turning to her other side and opening her eyes. She is met with the calm gaze of crimson optics as Megatron puts the personal tablet that he keeps in her cabin onto his lap.

“Good morning, Y/n,” he greets, nodding to her slightly.

“Morning, darling,” she says, yawning again and almost missing the moment when a small smile softens the warlord’s features, “Did you sleep at all?”

“I did,” the mech assures, reaching out and putting a servo on her head gently, “I’m glad I did not wake you when I came by in the morning.”

“Well did you come in through the door or just appear in the room, bypassing the challenges of creaking floorboards and clicking door handles?” she asks, moving her head against the servo affectionately and receiving a careful scratch to her scalp in return. Sure, the warlord’s digits were deadly weapons, but scratches from him felt _amazing._

“My end goal was to let you sleep a little longer, not to compete with floorboards and door handles,” Megatron informs her and Y/n smiles at him gratefully.

“Thank you. How did you recharge, though?” she asks, taking the servo off her head and now holding onto it with both hands under the blanket, warming the metal.

“I woke up about an hour ago, so I got enough rest,” the warlord replies before thinking for a moment and adding, “I need to work with some files today as well as look though a detailed report on the Nemesis’s systems….If you wish me to, I can stay for the day but I will not be much entertainment.”

“ _Of course_ I want you to stay, Megatron,” the young woman smiles mirthfully at him, “You don’t have to pay attention to me every second, I’m happy when you can just be here. You know that.”

“I do,” the smile that the steel-coloured mech gives her can be called peaceful and it makes her heart swell to know that he is as glad to stay by her side as she is glad to have him close. She lets go of Megatron’s servo as he gently tries to free it and, after he caresses her cheek with the tips of his digits, the mech raises his other servo that holds the tablet containing his work. Before he gets to resume reading, however, he glances down to where Y/n had just touched his lower leg with the ball of her foot and then back at her, a wordless amused ‘Yes?’ readable in his expression.

“How often can I come by with brief shows of affection to not be too much of a distraction?” Y/n asks with a curious smile as she drags her foot down the smooth, room-temperature metal slowly. It feels so good after all the warmth of her blanket cocoon. As to her question, she often asks similar ones whenever Megatron works in her presence. Sometimes the work isn’t urgent, sometimes it is - it’s best to know when to just let the mech do his job in peace, after all.

“I would prefer to finish this today, but it is nothing urgent or requiring a high level of concentration. So occasional shows of affection are very much welcome,” the Decepticon lord assures her with a nod, “Do not be afraid to speak to me as well.”

“Affir…ma…tive,” Y/n says as she stretches. She then holds the blanket to herself so that it doesn’t fall off and sits up. Scooting closer to Megatron and leaning up to his face to give him a peck on the cheek, she is instead met with his lips when he suddenly turns his helm and steals a kiss.

“Wanted to do that for an hour,” the mech explains with a smirk that makes her cheeks feel warm.

“Well next time, please do wake me up with a kiss,” she says before quickly placing another kiss on her lover’s lips before backing away and getting off the bed. The mech watches her as she walks around in her improvised blanket dress, getting ready to go into the shower.

“You are aware that I have seen you bare on many, many occasions?” he reminds her calmly, but she can see it in those crimson optics of his that he does this just to tease her.

“Did I not just receive the memo that you have work to do..?” she asks nonchalantly as she finally finds her second slipper and slips her foot into it. If there’s anything the internet had taught her, it's to not respond to provocation.

“Many. Occasions.”

 

_That’s it._

A pillow flies at the mech and he easily catches it with his free servo, smirking as Y/n proudly walks out the bedroom door, her long ‘dress’ dragging on the floor behind her. The moment she’s out of the warlord’s sight, however, she smiles happily – it’s a special kind of wonderful to see Megatron so relaxed and even playful. It doesn’t happen too often, there aren’t usually a lot of reasons to feel carefree during a war after all. Plus, Megatron isn’t an especially jolly mech by nature. But, as months pass, she gets to see him smile more often and it warms her heart like little else.

 

Y/n takes a good long shower, just standing in the warm water for a while after she was done with cleaning herself, letting her mind wander. Her thoughts are pleasantly uncomplicated today, and when she exits the shower she’s ready to have a nice quiet, perfectly normal day with a 2.1 meter tall metal alien chilling in her house. Well, technically in her house that’s aboard his ship.

A few minutes later, the young woman walks out of the shower in a short, soft bathrobe and with a towel on her head. She walks into the bedroom, throws the blanket onto the bed. She and Megatron glance at each other, the latter then nods and returns to his reading. Y/n goes into the living room and then into the kitchen area, where she quickly decides what she wants to have for breakfast. She wonders if she should offer some to Megatron, but since food does nothing for holomatter avatars but let them enjoy the taste before the food gets disintegrated, Y/n decides that there’s not much point to cook for two today. Megatron sometimes joins her for a meal if he wants to taste something new or knows that there’s something he likes on the table, but usually he prefers not to ‘waste her resources’. When he’s busy, however, he doesn’t come to the table at all since, well, he’s working and doesn’t need human food to continue working effectively. He does, however, like the smell of black coffee. Sometimes he drinks it, sometimes he just lets it stand somewhere near him. In the end, Y/n decides that she’ll make some coffee for the both of them.

The young woman turns on the stove, then takes out a Turkish coffee pot, a bag of coffee beans and a small coffee grinder. Sure, she could go all the way and follow all the rules of making Turkish coffee, but she’s too lazy to do that today. Instead, she sticks to the two main rules – to add sugar at the very start of the 'cooking' process and to prepare the beverage slowly, not letting the water get to a state beyond that of slight simmering. The smell of coffee permeates the air of the room and Y/n takes a deep breath as she continues stirring the beverage inside the small pot with a long narrow spoon. She closes her eyes, enjoying the fragrance, when she hears heavy footsteps coming from the bedroom. Soon, strong metal arms embrace her from behind and she leans into her lover as he places his helm on the top of her head.

“Would you like a cup?” Y/n asks and feels the mech nod before he lets go of her and walks toward the couch, where he continues reading. The girl soon places a white handleless mug of coffee next to him on the coffee table. While not in human form, Megatron has no use for tiny ceramic handles – his large servos are enough to fully hold a sizeable mug anyway. And, well, it’s good for Megatron to have his personal mug at her place - makes the cabin homier somehow.

“Thank you,” the mech says with a nod, not lifting his optics from his tablet as he takes the mug into his servo.

“My pleasure,” the young woman replies as she walks back to the kitchen table where her breakfast is waiting for her. Her gaze momentarily grazes the cupboard where she knew her wine and champagne glasses stood. Theoretically, she only ever needed two or three of them but, knowing the friends she kept, several would get broken _somehow_ eventually. Inside the cupboard, there was also a set of rectangle-shaped clear glasses that looked very similar to empty Energon cubes (and were actually candle holders, but nobody needed to know that), for the purpose of her being able to enjoy sharing a beverage with the warlord in an at least somewhat similar manner to how other Cybertronians could. Basically, almost any drink mixed with blue food colouring or blue curacao liqueur would be blue enough to successfully pretend it was Energon. A tea from Thailand by the name of Butterfly pea tea also did the trick splendidly, being an organic equivalent of ‘blue glowing tea’ that her and Megatron had an inside joke about, minus the glowing part. After her breakfast was taken care of, Y/n decides to relocate herself to the chair that stands next to the couch to browse the web from her laptop. Before that, however, she glances over at Megatron, studying his expression. Coming to a conclusion that he didn’t look too busy at the moment, the young woman walks over to the couch and leans down, placing a kiss to the side of the mech’s helm and then walking off, noticing a satisfied smile linger on his face as she let herself fall into the chair.

 

The day goes by at a relaxed pace, the silence in the cabin being interrupted only by quiet sound of Y/n typing something on her laptop or her and Megatron partaking in brief conversation. The young woman reads up on some news to keep herself informed on what goes on in the world while she is hanging out on a flying alien warship, then she spends some time messaging back and forth with her friends while simultaneously watching some YouTube videos. After that, she opens several text documents and schematics, deciding to follow Megatron’s example in being productive. She studies up on Cybertronian physiology some more – good thing Knockout was enthusiastic enough about the idea that he sent over quite a sizeable amount of learning material that included even his own field notes on the more rare cases that the medic had encountered. It was interesting to see the ‘doctor’ side of the usually smug and seemingly carefree mech; he became so much more focused even if his usual humour and diva-like attitude still showed occasionally. 

When the clock in the lower right corner of her laptop’s screen shows a quarter past seven, the girl decides that it's enough studying for today if she wants the knowledge to settle in her mind without becoming a useless overly large bundle of info. She wonders what she wants to do now as her gaze settles on Megatron’s frame. Absentmindedly, she notes that she should buy a new couch sometime soon as the one that came with the cabin was beginning to show signs of someone very heavy spending his time on it frequently. Come to think of it, the same could be said about the bed – the thing clearly wasn’t meant to handle interface between a quite passionate metal alien and a woman with inhuman strength. Also, the claw- and pede-marks on the mattress were getting a bit too numerous.

 

Suddenly, she feels someone looking at her and realises that Megatron had noticed her staring and is now silently looking back, red optics glowing with slight curiosity as he waits for her to say something.

 

“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking,” Y/n smiles, chuckling as she shakes her head.

“Well, we need more of that on this ship,” Megatron replies and she can hear notes of amusement under the seriousness of his tone.

“We need a new couch and new bed on this ship,” Y/n smirks, placing her elbow on the armrest of her chair and supporting her head with her fingertips as her free hand is busy typing and entering keywords for Google to search, “Do you have any preference in furniture?”

“A throne?” the mech deadpans and Y/n looks back at him with an expression of ‘Really?’ before shrugging.

“Sure. What color?” she asks nonchalantly as her fingers dance across the keyboard. They look at each other for a moment in a poker face competition of sorts before the corner of Megatron’s lips twitches up.

“I am confident your choice will be something I would like as well,” he assures but, after thinking a moment, adds, “But a larger chair than the ones you currently have would be nice. A wider couch as well, perhaps.”

“Noted, I was thinking in the same direction,” Y/n says as she gives the warlord an approving smile. He nods, then looks over at his tablet before putting it to the side and gesturing for her to come over, servo open in invitation. The young woman gladly accepts, setting her laptop to the side, then getting up, putting her hand into the mech's servo and sitting on his lap.

“Are you done or just finally taking a break?” she asks as she looks at the mech with curiosity. Megatron shakes his helm, sighing.

“I am nearly done, but I need to attend to some business.”

“Oh, nice!”

To Megatron’s questioning look, Y/n smiles and elaborates:

“Well at least you can grab a meal as well while outside of your holoform.”

The warlord raises an optic ridge, but nods in understanding.

“I would like to remind you, that if anyone else would try and watch my diet…they would not enjoy the consequences,” he comments calmly, while the servo that is not holding her hand caresses the outside of her thigh.

“Even your chief medical officer?” Y/n asks with a smile, her own free hand rubbing the purple armor layer around the mech’s neck soothingly.

“My chief medical officer is sometimes too much of a free spirit for my taste,” Megatron grumbles, casting a glare in the direction where Y/n guessed the medbay probably was, “But, as long as he fulfils his duties, I do not care.”

“But his duties _are_ to advise you how to keep your frame at maximum health,” the girl counters with a smile. She was well aware that her lover could be very strict, and as she would try to persuade Knockout to be less of a jerk to his patients, so would she try and defend the doctor who already had a pretty stressful job. Especially, if he wasn’t actively getting into trouble…on board the Nemesis at least. Megatron looks at her in a specific way she sometimes catches him do – it’s a strange blend of displeasure, doubt and interest. Recently, the young woman had surmised that it happened because the warlord was not used to someone disagreeing with him so casually, but still being interested in what she had to say. If she was to be honest, when he first gave her the look it made her genuinely nervous – it still did a little. Megatron’s glares were very intense, able to shake one to the core and his suspicious looks were no less effective at making someone panic. His expression of anger and enragement were only seen by Y/n in a couple of rare instances, but she remembered them vividly – the former gladiator could be truly terrifying when he wanted to be.

“Knockout’s duties are whatever I order them to be,” the mech says slowly, his words clear and his voice somewhere between patient and dismissive, “So, unless I ask for his opinion on my habits, it is none of his business.”

He studies her face closely, red optics burning bright as he waits for her response. Y/n just nods, noting Megatron’s opinion on the subject. She isn’t naive and knows well that there are bound to be reasons why her friends on board the Nemesis, despite admiring the warlord, are also very cautious of him. His personality, much like his armor, is sharp and thorny and the steel-coloured mech holds almost everyone at a fusion cannon blast’s distance away and doesn’t hold any warm feelings towards anyone else except for Soundwave and, now, her. That kind of lifestyle has surely kept Megatron safe – both physically and mentally - during the war, but has also left him somewhat emotionally illiterate. Then again, Y/n understood how and why it happened, Megatron had an incredibly difficult, violent life almost from the very day he came online. The fact that he was able to let at least someone into his spark, _especially_ after the betrayal of someone he considered his brother, was a miracle in Y/n’s eyes. And, maybe, showed a little hope that - once the war was over - the mech could start rebuilding both his planet and his faith in others. Until then, she was happy to be with someone as strong-willed, as admirable and as secretly caring as her lover.

“You are thinking,” Megatron observes as his expression instinctively becomes less confrontational and more curious the more he understands that there is nothing even slightly aggressive in Y/n’s demeanor. He’s impulsive, but he also usually calms down quickly if approached properly - Y/n has been with the mech for long enough to learn that. Luckily, calmness and patience are things she has an abundance of.

“You know I didn’t mean it in the sense that I know best,” Y/n says in a conciliatory voice as she slips a hand under the mech’s helm and places it on his cheek. The feeling of warm metal against her skin makes her smile softly and she watches the warlord sigh and lean into her touch a little.

“You were trying to influence me to be more tolerant towards Knockout. I suppose, someone like you would do that for a mech they consider a friend,” he grumbles, his steady gaze stays on her eyes and Y/n isn’t even surprised by how insightful the mech could be sometimes. For someone who was so extremely emotionally guarded, he sure could observe and determine the motivations of others with incredible accuracy on occasion.

“Please stop being so smart, it’s scary,” the young woman jokes in a gentle voice, a small smile appearing on her lips, “But yes, I don’t really want my dear lord to be angry at my friend for trying to do his job well.”

Megatron rolls his optics, but it’s a half-hearted action born from stubbornness rather than actual exasperation.

“I will… _consider_ your words. But you, more than anyone, should know how irritaning Knockout can be,” he says, looking at her with expectation.

“I would never disagree with that, sometimes I want to strangle your CMO myself,” Y/n agrees readily and it makes her lover smirk.

“I still have use for him, unfortunately,” the mech reminds her as he sighs and turns his helm, his smiling lips now against her palm.

“Why, Lord Megatron, are _you_ defending Knockout now?” Y/n asks playfully, sensing that the warlord’s mood had improved. The gaze of red optics travels from her hand to her eyes as the mech raises an optic ridge.

“I will pretend I did not hear that,” he informs her before closing his optics and placing a kiss on her palm. Y/n chuckles quietly, dragging her thumb across her lover’s cheek affectionately.

 

 

Megatron departs soon after, leaving her with the lingering feeling of his lips on hers and the promise to return around midnight. As soon as he's gone, Y/n goes back to the chair she sat in previously, sitting down and pulling her legs up to her chest. Her arms hug her legs and her chin rests on her knees as the young woman looks at the place where the warlord just sat on the couch.

She knows that she shouldn’t overanalyse things, but leaving things completely without retrospection is also stupid to her. So she sits there, thinking.

They debate things often, so Y/n isn’t new to Megatron sometimes having to pause and reign in his temper when he realises that he doesn’t want to intimidate her. And for that, she appreciates the mech for both his self-control and his care for her. As to the warlord’s relationships with his subordinates – she knows that those were formed over thousands of years, and that she is still very new to the ship. She wants to do good, but isn’t it stupid to assume that by now things haven’t already fallen into a rhythm that is comfortable for at least most of the Nemesis’s inhabitants? She may try and give advice or voice her opinions on some ethical matters, but ultimately this was a closed environment with its own culture and rules and _she_ came into _their_ house. Ship. And was treated well, too. She had friends, Starscream was made to get off her case, she was allowed use of tech that was so advanced it might as well be magic and - most shockingly - she fell in love.

And she fell in love _hard._ What started as gratefulness, fascination and respect was now a feeling so strong it made her heart ache and her brain worry. She was always sceptical about people falling in love quickly, and now here she was. How ironic. How did the wish to learn from and match wits with a giant metal alien lord bring her here? What the hell, even?

It was not that she was disappointed, no. In fact, Megatron was a phenomenal lover to have as far as she was concerned. There were too many things to name that she loved about Megatron, and the things that caused her concern could be explained by the fact that he not only had an incredibly violent and painful past, but was also currently leading a war. Y/n had only recently experienced how it was to kill someone, to stay alive by killing off those who came for you – the memories still made her shiver sometimes. And Megatron had been fighting for longer than Homo sapiens had walked the Earth. So, yes, Megatron was strict and intimidating and was not used to people questioning his opinions – in Y/n’s cynical opinion, one could do _much_ worse things when the war you’ve been fighting from the beginning had been going on for so long that your race had lost _billions_ of lives to it. 

This relationship – it was definitely strange. Both of them knew it, too. And still, here they were. It was strange how emotionally fulfilling it was, strange how she longed for Megatron more than any human she had ever met, strange how someone of Megatron’s lifespan and experiences could consider her his equal. And he did, nothing less would have let Megatron’s ego call her his dear, his darling, his lover. They didn’t outright confess to each other with ‘those three words’ and Y/n was fairly sure they wouldn’t for a while. She got the impression that there was something final about such a statement when it came from Megatron, something...binding. The warlord wasn't one to admit to cherishing someone only to be okay with letting them go. So it was a final confession of weakness, one could say. Acknowledgement that the warlord would want to keep her by his side forever. Knockout had once told her that cybertronians were much like humans in regards to feeling and displaying feelings, ‘give or take a few centuries depending on the mech/femme’. It all got turned on its head, of course, with the war – love in times of war was a difficult thing to generalise. But what was important was that it wasn’t a Cybertronian thing to ban those words from reaching someone they had been in a relationship with for only a short while, it was _Megatron’s_ thing. _Y/n’s_ thing. In _this_ specific, strange relationship.

Y/n sighs and closes her eyes. She started off trying to analyse the compromises both of them made to accommodate each other’s personalities and here she is thinking about telling Megatron she loved him. Or, rather not telling him. Not yet. Was this good or bad that they were both cynical enough to try and see if the initial high of falling in love would fade? And – if it did – what would replace it? For now, it seemed like they were so in synch, like her calmer nature was perfectly counterbalanced by his temper while all the things that they had in common made the ties between them grow stronger with each passing day. Even their physical condition improved, Megatron’s recharge problems as well as her anxiety stepping back from them. It was pleasant to just be in the same room without speaking, it felt like a blessing to have days when they could spend more time together inside or outside the Nemesis. It felt surreal how observant both of them were of each other, how they seemed to feel each other’s auras or EM fields – whatever one wanted to call it. All of it and so much more – it felt too perfect to continue for long. So the two sceptics hoped that it would, but waited to see what would happen next. Y/n was fine with that, it was the perfect arrangement. Even if she had to watch her tongue in the moments when she got overwhelmed with how enamoured she was with the steel-coloured mech.

 

 

Y/n takes a deep breath, rubbing her eyes with her palms. Gods, it was probably so much easier to live without the habit of almost constantly thinking everything over. Enough, time to play some videogames. The girl stands up from the chair, gathers quite a few pillows to make herself an improvised nest next to the TV and turns off the light in the room. After that, she picks up the controller, puts on her headphones and sits down with her legs crossed.

 

 

She has just beaten Ori and the Blind Forest when she feels heavy footsteps behind herself and sees the reflection of red optics in the glass of the picture frame above the TV. Taking off her headphones, Y/n looks behind herself, throwing her head far back because of the mech’s considerable height.

“Hello there,” the girl greets him, happy to see him return, “Everything go well?”

Megatron nods as the TV screen illuminates his frame in the darkness of the room, his crimson optics glowing brightly. He kneels in front of her, and at the next moment his servo already gently holds her chin and his lips touch hers in a passionate kiss that makes her melt immediately, kissing him back as she closes her eyes.

“I’m glad to see you too,” Y/n smiles when the kiss ends and her lover nods and gives her a small smile as well. They soon find themselves both sitting in front of the TV, Y/n using Megatron’s chassis like a broad and warm back of a chair, leaning on him as she played some Bloodborne, showing the mech the base mechanics and explaining the story.

“There cannot possibly be this much blood inside human bodies,” Megatron states as Y/n’s character performs a visceral attack on an enemy, causing blood to explode from their body.

“Of course not, the average amount of blood in a human body is about five liters,” she smirks, her eyes focused on her character dodging torches and pitchforks, “But it looks more impressive that way. Feels more satisfying, too.”

The hunter jumps out of the way of a rabid dog, rolls and turns around with her weapon ready, slashing the infected, mad beast as it is in mid-jump. Blood flies everywhere, staining the hunter’s dark coat and short cape even more. As the hunter’s feet hit the bloodied cobblestone street, the young woman hears Megatron hum in mild amusement.

“So this is the game where Soundwave keeps joining you?”

 

Y/n hits pause, puts her controller on the floor and turns around, looking the mech dead in the optic a she speaks with a threatening note to her voice.

 

“Your communications officer is a damn troll. He broke the game _somehow_ , I know he wouldn’t waste the time to actually grind to that ridiculously high lever that he is. And now he keeps invading me and killing me or messing with me somehow.”

“Sounds like something Soundwave would do,” Megatron nods, raising an optic ridge and smirking, “Do you wish me to tell him to stop?”

“No!” the pretend-displeasure Y/n had on her face is immediately gone as she waves her hands quickly. She then chuckles, shaking her head, “No, no. It’s nice clearing dungeons or invading people with Soundwave whenever he actually takes a break.”

“I see,” the mech says slowly, his optics looking behind Y/n, at the TV screen, “I know you play games with others as well…?”

“Sometimes with the Vehicons, whenever they are not busy with their duties,” she nods, emphasizing the fact that whatever she does for fun with Megatron’s subordinates doesn’t affect their work. The warlord nods again – it doesn’t seem like he is too interested in spending time playing games, but he does seem interested in what Y/n does in her free time. And with whom. The young woman switches games and shows him the ones she usually plays with the Vehicons. The leaderboard catches the steel-coloured mech’s interest.

“Soundwave participated?” he raises an optic ridge and Y/n rolls her eyes with a chuckle.

“The mech showed up _once_ , hit every combo perfectly, beat everyone and then left us with an impossible-to-beat high score and a crushing feeling of inadequacy.”

“I am not surprised in the least.”

 

Eventually, the TV is turned off, the lights are turned on and the couple find themselves talking while sitting on the floor across from each other, with pillows scattered around them as they talk. They start with the topic of Cybetronian games, coming to a conclusion that they should play fullstasis again soon. Fullstasis was a game similar to the Earth game of chess. It was played on a diamond-patterned board and, until now, Y/n hadn’t won a single match since Megatron had taught her. Then again, it was to be expected when the warlord had thousands of human lifetimes of experience and she had just memorized all the proper names of the pieces. Who the hell calls a ~~chess~~ fullstasis piece _‘Quarg’_? In any case, Y/n was hoping that, with more time to practice both playing and reading Megatron, and with a _ton_ of luck, she’d eventually get at least one draw with the mech.

“Yes, well I’d love to see you play against Soundwave,” the young woman says with an incline of her head, looking at the warlord meaningfully. Megatron narrows his optics.

“Oh, have a struck a nerve?” she smirks smugly, glad that if not her, then at least Soundwave could beat the steel-coloured mech. Said mech looks at her steadily, before speaking slowly:

“I play fullstasis against Soundwave occasionally. Do you really believe his skill to be superior?”

 _“Soundwave superior,”_ Y/n deadpans, before chuckling at how the warlord slightly raised his optic ridges, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. It’s kind of an inside joke between us by now. Anyway, no, I meant it in the way that it would be interesting to see you play against someone who can actually match you in skill.”

“Hm, I suppose I can see the appeal of that. Though you should bring along a book, as one match is usually never enough,” her lover advises before adding, his expression becoming smug, “Or should _you_ maybe play with Soundwave?”

“Do. Not. Even.” Y/n warns as the color drains from her face upon imagining how quick and utter her defeat would be, “Just…no.”

Though her expression showcased only part of the intense cringing feeling that she was experiencing inside, it was enough for Megatron to smirk and chuckle smugly.

“Don’t be mean,” Y/n scolds, shaking an index finger at him in warning. The warlord looks at her in amusement, putting on an expression of superiority even if it was clear it was meant jokingly.

“I will do as I-“

 

_Thud!_

Megatron raises an optic ridge as he lowers the servo that holds the pillow that was thrown at him. He blocks the second pillow with his right forearm, the third, fourth and fifth are blocked by him calmly raising his left arm to shield his helm with both arms. The pillows seem to stop and his left servo lowers a bit to allow him to throw Y/n a look of warning, red optics glowing dangerously.

“I am the mightiest gladiator of Kaon, leader of the Decepticon army-“

 

_Thud!_

 

The pillow helplessly hits the metal armguard and falls to join the others that have now gathered on Megatron’s lap. There’s a quick unzipping sound and before he gets to look what that was about, Y/n throws her last pillow. As the mech blocks the final pillow and it hits his forearm, a burst of feathers flies into his face, followed by the sound of Y/n’s voice as she exclaims a quick victorious ‘Ha!’.

 _“You dare…?”_ the warlord utters, his searing optics focused on Y/n. Y/n gives him her proudest expression that drops the moment she sees – slowly, almost as if in slow motion - him raise a servo with a pillow in it as the mech stands up and towers over her menacingly. With a quiet yelp, the girl rushes in the direction of the door and as she pulls the handle she realises that it is closed.

“You could easily break that door…” she hears his deep voice behind herself and the moment she turns around Megatron’s large servo slams against the door next to her head, causing her breath to catch as the door behind her reverberates from the force of the impact, “…Or you could stay and accept the consequences of your actions.”

The Decepticon lord’s large shadow covers her as he awaits her reply, his expression almost unreadable except for the fire in his crimson optics that gaze down upon her. That fire is enough to send a pleasant shiver up Y/n’s spine. It seems that her actions had caused quite the reaction. Straightening her back and trying her best not to smile, the girl looks at the warlord with proud defiance.

“I am no coward, do your worst.”

 

Megatron grins, his sharp dentas showing. A moment later, he has her in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom. That night, the _consequences_ that she has to face leave Y/n wondering if she should maybe provoke her lover just a little more frequently.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes winter! From here on, we're gonna go at a slightly faster pace;)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! I sincerily hope you enjoy the story so far and, remember, if you have anything to say I am always glad to get comments and discuss things with readers <3
> 
> Anyway, on to adventures in spring!


	46. First Flight (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After careful consideration, Megatron gives Y/n a go-ahead to fly outside the Nemesis. As she gets ready to do so, the young woman contemplates some things.

 

 

_The sky is yours._

 

The overwhelming meaning of these words finally fully reached Y/n one morning in early March as she woke up from a dream where she was flying over mountains. For a normal person it would have ended there, it would have been just a dream. For Y/n, however, it was something within reach, something she could actually do now that Megatron had agreed to her flying outside the ship. The thought left her breathless for a moment, her body tensing up under the covers, her heart swelling and beating so fast it actually made her lightheaded. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the girl took a moment to think about her further actions. She then stood up and looked over the jumpsuit she had left on the back of her chair. It was form-fitting and grey in color, with an inner lining made of wool that would keep her warm without the downside of weighing her down.Y/n smirked, remembering her medic-friend’s scowl as he saw the jumpsuit and the begrudging ‘It will do as a temporary thing, _I guess_ ,’ said through clenched dentas. Something told her she would be designing a flight suit with the doctor soon. 

Putting on a turtleneck sweater, some warm leggings and then the jumpsuit, the young woman did not zip the latter all the way up for now to avoid getting too hot. Her gaze fell to the futuristic-looking helmet on her bedside table – she remembered fiddling with it last evening…at least, until a certain warlord visited her with a much more _entertaining_ activity in mind.

 

Was there a stupid grin on her face right now? Yes, there certainly was.

 

Softly chuckling and shaking her head, Y/n shook off the fun memories of last night and took the peculiar headgear into her hands, looking over it in satisfaction. Knockout made it for her – and this time, she had to work for it. Thank all gods, Earth and Cybertronian, that the medic’s servos were much smaller than those of Breakdown or Megatron, because several two hour-long sessions of polishing the medic’s servos (with a joint oil massage thrown in to sweeten the deal) were Y/n’s payment for getting the helmet she now held in her hands. It was platinum in colour like her wings and well-fitting to her head-shape. Its colourless visor looked a bit like the ones on the fighter-class Vehicons, which – to Y/n – looked incredibly cool. What’s more, Knockout installed everything she could possibly need into it, including an air filter, a comlink, internet, several sensors, a health state monitor and a bunch of other goodies Y/n would have to get used to eventually. The helmet wirelessly connected to the ‘facehugger’ on the back of her neck, so aside from ‘feeling’ the general state of her wings she would now visually see the stats. It also meant that Y/n now had a way to communicate with the Decepticons without having to use her phone. The helmet was still a prototype and Knockout was already excited to start working on a ‘transforming model’, whatever that meant, but – for now – this was the hot new toy and Y/n couldn’t wait to use both it and her wings outside. _Outside!_ The thought itself was enough to make her squeal a little.

Putting on the alien-made headgear on, the young woman immediately saw the darkness inside it fade away, the feeling of looking through the the plastic-like material of the visor being much like looking through clear glasses – as in, it was very easy to get used to. The HUD came up, faintly glowing purple letters and numbers appearing in front of her eyes. Funnily, despite Knockout predicting that having a heads-up display would be strange for Y/n and would require considerable time for her to get used to, she actually got very comfortable using it in a matter of a couple of hours. She was no genius or prodigy…but she _did_ enjoy video games from a very young age and, for once, it helped her out in real life. It took some time to get used to what all the indicators meant and using her mind to pull them up or closing them but, once she did, it was much like playing a game with some highly advanced VR-goggles on.

Pulling up Soundwave’s communication frequency, the young woman sent the spymaster a request to send over Laserbeak whenever it was convenient, adding her reason for doing so also. While she had Megatron’s permission to fly outside, it was still common courtesy to let at least someone on the ship know if she decided to do so. Besides, Laserbeak would have alerted Soundwave immediately upon learning about her plans anyway, so she could at least spare the deployer, the communications officer and Megatron the trouble. A text message from the slender mech came back almost immediately, as if Soundwave was expecting her to message him regarding this – then again, with how perceptive he was, he probably was expecting her to go flying outside very soon after Megatron gave her the go-ahead. The spymaster’s reply was a short one, stating that Laserbeak’s ETA was 27 minutes.

Y/n sent a brief grateful reply, removing the headgear after. She still had to brush her teeth and then style her hair in a way so that it would be comfortable to wear under a helmet. As she began brushing her teeth, she absentmindedly wondered if there would ever come a time when she could fly with her hair down all prettily like in some videogame. Not that it presented any danger for the wings themselves - it would take a lot to damage the high-tech alien invention. The perspective of her hair being ripped off didn’t entice Y/n in the slightest, however, even if it would grow back fast. Pain was pain and for all of her enhanced physiology it felt exactly as it did when she was still an ordinary girl – bad, it felt very bad. Also, the thought of Knockout and Breakdown laughing their afts off at the image of her without a patch of hair made her dismiss vanity in favour of common sense every single time she got ready to fly. Maybe one day Knockout would find a way to make sure that nothing could get snagged up between the wings’ mechanical parts and she would then let her hair down while flying…that would probably look fancy. Until then, however, there was still a variety of ways to style her hair so that it would both look nice and keep her out of trouble.

 

Once her teeth were brushed, the young woman lingered in front of the bathroom mirror, hairbrush replacing the toothbrush in her hand. As she began fixing her hair, Y/n let her mind wander again, her thoughtful gaze resting on the reflected image of herself.

 

She would fly outside today. She would be able to look at the Nemesis from a distance, to see with her own eyes how impressive the alien warship was. Sure, she knew how the Nemesis looked from a distance thanks to looking up pictures and video-feed from Lasebeak. It was a warship both grand and terrifying in its appearance, incredibly powerful yet awe-inspiring – things it shared with the one who owned it. And, much like the Decepticon leader’s appearance was one that Y/n grew to genuinely love, the Decepticon flagship – with its sharp angles and dark colours – also grew on her. It practically screamed that attacking it was pure suicide and, for Y/n, that meant safety for herself and those she came to care for. The young woman still hadn’t explored nearly enough of it, taking her time and carefully picking opportunities to scout out new areas or ask her friends to show her something, but her slow and steady approach was seemingly paying off, as until now no one had yet complained to either Megatron or Soundwave that she was interfering with work or suspiciously sneaking around. Which was good, the last thing she wanted to do was disturb the soldiers or maintenance personnel for no reason other than to sate her curiosity.

 

Speaking of the crew, more people on board seemed to have come to accept her being Megatron’s…well, ‘pet human’ was still the most commonly used term among Vehicons. The nicer ones were ‘guest’, ‘human proxy’ and she even heard ‘terran consultant’ used once or twice. The meaner ones, used when she wasn’t around by those who were displeased with her presence, included ‘weird experimental human’, ‘mutant’, ‘flying insect’ and ‘accessory’ - the latter literally meaning that her role was nothing more than to just sit there and look pretty as part of the warlord’s furniture/armor decorations. Neither of the terms really got under her skin, however. She didn’t strive to be loved or even liked by everyone, she just wanted to be civil – there was enough conflict to go around anyway, _with a war happening and all._ What she actually cared for was the fact the she had now been around for long enough to stop being a novelty, so now her mere presence didn’t trigger any major reactions, pointed index digits or a game of 20 questions. Anyone who was interested in the human aboard already had the chance to see/visit/hear about her at least once and anyone who despised the fact that a small organic was on their ship had time to learn that it was probably a bad idea to try and break something that Megatron called his. His property, of course, in the minds of the Decepticons. There was no need for anyone to know that the warlord called her ‘his’ in a much more intimate manner. Though, the reactions to that reveal would no doubt be interesting.

Did it trouble her that the crew did not know her true place in Megatron’s life? Heck no. Y/n was anything but unreasonable. Like almost any human, her opinions could sway to being more emotional or more pragmatic but, overall, she had a very clear understanding where feelings ended and common sense began. Megatron was a being that was _many_ thousands of years old, he was engaged in a war that began so incredibly long ago that it was hard to truly grasp for her human mind. His mission was beyond important, the survival of his species as well as the survival of his already critically damaged home planet depended on him. His armies were ready to lay down their lives by the thousands if he ordered, all the while holding the hope for a better future in their sparks – a hope that he inspired and kept alive. So, did she want Megatron’s private affairs to be public knowledge? Have Megatron announce that he had someone who was not so much his Achilles’ heel (after all, Y/n had no illusions that her death would be enough to break a mech as strong-willed as Megatron - thankfully), but certainly a way to get under his mental armor? And if Optimus Prime and his goons found out about that? Or did she maybe want the entire crew to start treating her differently? Did she want Starscream to have something he could use against either her or Megatron (after all, she knew by now that he wasn’t beneath that)? Vehicons to whisper about the unusual romantic relationship and to discuss ‘how does it work with a human’? No. No, no, no, _no._ The way things were now worked fine for her. Whether she was considered Megatron’s pet or guest, or mutated human specimen – everyone knew better than to mess with her or disrespect her openly. Her amicable relations with officers like Knockout, Breakdown and Soundwave as well as with a decent number of troops/maintenance crew/miners only strengthened the tendency for mechs to just leave her be, not to mention made her life on the Nemesis very fun and full of interesting relationship dynamics.

 

So things were very much fine as they were.

 

After her hair was done, the young woman decided to forgo breakfast for now – after all, she had a lot of flying planned. Instead, she went into the small room that now served as her wing storage and checked if everything was in order as she always did. As the girl’s fingers lightly traced the alien metal and her eyes examined every inch, she let herself get lost in thought once again.

There was also something else on her mind recently. She had the Decepticon warlord as her lover, and while Y/n always considered herself to be someone who would rather deal with her business and problems on her own, it would be stupid to feign ignorance of the fact that her bond with Megatron and the other Decepticons offered _massive_ privileges. She was the freest person on the entire planet right now, probably. The only things constraining her actions were her own sense of self-preservation, her morals and, well, the laws of physics. She could go anywhere she wanted, everywhere was fair game. A groundbridge could get her anywhere and her ‘upgrades’ could let her deal with many conditions easily. The top of the highest mountain or the classiest movie premiere in Hollywood are a wish away when your body can easily handle extreme changes of climate and your abilities can make humans oblivious to your presence. If she wanted to, if she was more of an extravert, she could have used the flip side of that ability, drawing attention to herself, getting people to instinctively notice her and what she was saying. The thought of her walking into a place and everyone staring at her immediately made her cringe, however. Public attention was something she preferred to get in small doses. But still, if she wanted to…

If she wanted to, she could easily break into any house, any museum or facility she wanted – the only thing she would need is for Soundwave to meddle with the surveillance systems. Come to think of it, having alien friends like this meant that she could terrifyingly easily kill a person or even several and no one would ever catch her, no one would even think it was her. In fact, it had already happened – the crater that now replaced the clearing where her cabin had once stood was proof of that. But the whole chain of those events wasn’t pleasant to remember. At all. She would never want to be put in a situation where she would have to take a life again…But the fact still stood. She could go anywhere, do _anything_ and wouldn’t face any consequences and that was more freedom than anyone on Earth probably had. A shepherd somewhere in the middle of nowhere and a highly guarded government official would be equally helpless if she wanted to end their existence. Fortunately, Y/n’s desires didn’t include causing others harm, her nature wasn’t an overly malicious one even if she had experienced and indulged in the urges to deliver swift justice in a rather violent manner to those who actually deserved it. She could have fled the crashed Cybertronian ship, could have fled the cabin – instead, she made sure that those who came for her did not get the opportunity to try and catch her again or try to search for her at her parents’ place. She was honest with both herself and others when she said that she did not regret those decisions, though.

But if someone wasn’t out to get her or her loved ones, Y/n wasn’t going to spend time deliberately hunting for someone like some kind of assassin. There were horrible people in the world and Y/n considered it her and the Decepticons’ spymaster input that the money she used for both leisure and charity was whisked away from accounts that Soundwave traced back to backers of terrorist organizations. She may not be a super soldier barging into terrorist hideouts Captain America style, but she guessed it would be much less difficult for the responsible military organisations of the world to catch and dispose of a foe that is very underfunded. Or, maybe even had an anonymous tip leading to them. Megatron didn’t seem to care about humans, their terrorist organisations and the forces opposing those organisations - the only things he seemed to be pleased about were that she was doing whatever she wanted and that her meddling in human affairs was done from the safety of the Nemesis. From Y/n’s point of view, this was her way of doing some good in the world while she was so well off. Taking money from terrorists and giving to charity – seemed like a nice modern Robin Hood-esque equilibrium.

 

 Aside from that, her interests didn’t concern other humans at all, really.

 

She presented her family with tickets to places they’ve always wanted to visit, she picked out presents for her friends that weren’t necessarily the most expensive ones but hit the mark perfectly when the receiver’s interests were concerned. When you have every single shop in the world available, you tend find things very easily. All in all, living with the Decepticons offered a world of opportunities and while material goods were a good thing, there were other aspects of her life that excited Y/n far more. The possibility of travelling anywhere in the world was what made her eyes sparkle with glee and wonder, the ability to learn about things humanity had no clue about was what sated both her curiosity and her ego. The universe was huge - it had aliens civilisations, interplanetary conflicts, technologies like nothing she could ever think of herself and creatures that boggled the imagination. The Earth seemed small compared to that, but – at the same time – it made Y/n appreciate her small blue planet even more and determined to experience as much of it as she could without annoying Soundwave with her frequent groundbridge requests too much.

And on the note of her being able to do whatever she wanted either lawful or not, well…breaking the law wasn’t outside of her consideration, but only so far as it did not harm anyone and let her go places where humans weren’t usually meant to go. She wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she had already committed some crimes, however, or at least was an accomplice to them. Street racing was illegal, yet she knew that Knockout would be engaging in it with or without her – and she honestly would prefer being there, it was a fun thing she and the medic liked to do in their spare time. The money Knockout, Breakdown and Megatron ‘magically’ had on them – from hacked terminals or Soundwave’s machinations, Y/n knew that. Then again, in one were to be cynical, human criminals found ways to play the system and steal so much more that chiding _actual aliens_ about money felt inconsequential. Especially if the money wasn't stolen from people's accounts, insead simply just handed over by the hacked machines. Returning to her own lawbreaking –the ability to safely take a stroll through almost any territory together with an eleven-meter-tall alien without government agencies noticing was the result of Soundwave tampering with human satellites and surveillance cameras. A horrifying thought if one thought about how vulnerable Earth was if it took one (albeit _extremely_ capable) communications officer to hide anything remotely suspicious from view. By not notifying the governments of the world, she was technically committing treason, right? Then again, even if she tried they would institutionalise her. Or try to, at least.

In the end, everything listed was just her overthinking. She was a decent person, wasn’t she? She tried to do good by both humans and Decepticons, she wasn’t planning on hurting anyone who meant no harm to her, and if she was along for a ride with an alien car or up to some other mischief, she really didn’t care if counted as ‘bad behaviour’. She died, came back, blew up an alien ship, lived in the woods, killed her assassins, was shot by a sniper, got abducted by aliens, got injured by an alien, got her body crushed by _another_ alien and, by this point, she was all out of frags to give. Or maybe it was Megatron’s influence finally getting to her.

 

In any case, the only thing really bothering her was how vulnerable Earth was, how primitive humanity’s tech was to that of Cybertronians.

 

The knowledge that Cybertronians – at least the Decepticons – were only here to harvest Energon and draw out the Autobots was what calmed Y/n’s heart when she sometimes found herself considering all the ways it could go terribly wrong. If Megatron had his optics set on conquest, there wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop him. Luckily though, the steel-coloured warlord had no interest in her home planet. Whatsoever. It was sometimes comical how little the crew of the Nemesis cared and knew about humanity. Hell, if not for Y/n, Megatron would have probably never even bothered to learn anything about Earth except for how much Energon there was and where exactly it was. The Nemesis - this intimidating and powerful warship housing tens of hundreds giant metal soldiers, cruised usually somewhere in the upper troposphere and humans were none the wiser. It was a truly disturbing thought. But there was an even more horrifying thought. The Autobots were hiding out on the ground - so much closer to humans, so much more likely to raid human factories and facilities for their own needs, and so much more likely to kill anyone who came in contact with them. And even if it wasn’t Megatron’s plan to defend the Earth from the Autobots, he would engage them whenever they were spotted and that meant that the Earth and its inhabitants were that much safer. Eventually - _hopefully –_ it would either mean the defeat of the Autobots or at least their departure from Earth. What reason would they possibly have to stay on a planet where they were so severely outnumbered and, currently, starved out? The only theory Y/n had was that maybe their vessel was too damaged to escape the planet or something.

 

The girl snapped out of it, realising that she was just staring at her wings for a while now. Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head. For a day when she had her first outside flight planned, her head was sure heavy with all kinds of thoughts.

 

Everything looked fine with her wings and Y/n smiled faintly as she put them on and felt the exoskeleton-like upper part clamp around her torso upon activation. As much as she wanted to say that it was Knockout who told her to always make sure everything was in perfect working order, it was actually something she learned in her childhood while watching her father work on cars in his spare time. It was a sound work ethic and it made her feel safer every time she flew, as well as making her feel a little closer to her family somehow. There was something both calming and sobering in the fact that despite everything - despite what she went through, how she changed and how unbelievable her current lifestyle was - she was still herself, her past did not change and neither did the base principles she used to navigate through life.

 

The tell-tale signal of her phone signified Laserbeak’s arrival and Y/n wasted no time opening the giant door to her room and then walking outside of the cabin. The deployer neared her and descended, hovering right in front of her.

“There you are,” the girl said, smiling at the mini-con, “Hello there, Laserbeak.”

A quiet digital chirp-like sound was the reply, Laserbeak’s wings twitching slightly in what Y/n could guess was anticipation.

“I see I’m not the only one who can’t wait to do this,” the girl said as her smile grew into a full-fledged grin. She unfolded her wings and slightly adjusted their position in a manner that resembled what Laserbeak just did. It certainly earned her a reaction, the dark-coloured mini-con’s visor flashing once, followed by an approving digital sound resembling a soft trill. Y/n smiled warmly – even though flying wasn’t what humans were made for, she loved it immensely and the secondary wing language flying Cybertronians tended to have fascinated her. It was subtle and used more for expressing emotions or intent, but apparently affected Cybertronians on a level that was more instinct than anything else. ‘Basic programming’, Megatron called it. It was a lot like hand gestures, able to either add to what was spoken or – in the case of those who were born with wings – show the state of their mood, like energetic gesturing would show that a person was emotional, for example. Y/n wasn’t born with wings, but she did like studying the intricacies of Cybertronian social interaction. And, putting in even simpler terms – she just liked how Laserbeak got excited about it.

Laserbeak flew up to the ceiling and Y/n quickly joining, the quick gain of altitude making her giddy as she felt that she would be flying with no ceilings around soon. The thoughts that were flying through her mind like a flock of unruly birds previously seemed to start disappearing with Laserbeak’s arrival. Good, the young woman thought, she didn’t want to be distracted by her habit of overthinking things. Opening the door, Y/n winked at the mini-con and nodded towards the exit.

“Lead the way, my friend,” she said and, with a flash of his purple visor, Laserbeak eagerly flew out of the room, followed closely by a very excited winged proxy.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, very 'exciting' chapter, I know.   
> I decided to post it just in case some of you were curious to these aspects of the protagonist's life and what kind of mindset she has on some things currently. Y/n isn't exactly looking for the truth right now since the lies and half-thruths Megatron had supplied her before seem to believably hold up for now. Plus, as you can tell by the recent chapters, both are a little too busy being lovey-dovey for Megatron to properly think of the consequences and for Y/n to be more suspicious.   
> Poor children.
> 
> Anyway, on to the chapter where some flying actually happens :D


	47. First Flight (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of flying inside the Decepticon warship, Y/n finally gets to experience flying in the sky. Laserbeak accompanies her.

 

 

 

Y/n was standing on the deck of the Nemesis - the cold wind blowing into her face, her helmet in her hands, her wings unfolded and ready for use. The sky was a breathtakingly azure color and white, fluffy clouds stretched out as far as the eye could see, the alien warship proudly hovering over them.

The Nemesis was currently stationed over the Pacific Ocean and, were it not for the clouds, Y/n would have been able to see the enormous body of water stretch to the horizon in all directions. The continental US was the closest land nearby, but one wouldn’t be able to spot it from this distance. Really put things in perspective, the girl thought. Even beings as giant as Cybertronians, even their city-sized warships had something that could dwarf them in size. The brief thought was quickly dismissed by the young woman, however, in favour of fully taking in the incredible view all around her. In front of her, above her, to the left and to the right of her – nothing but azure sky and clouds. Behind her – the massive surface of the Decepticon warship, dark metal stretching for hundreds of meters into the distance. Sharp wings and antennae-looking parts stretched to the sky, the sunlight reflecting off their edges and, to a small creature like Y/n, from this angle everything looked more like some sort of massive metal monument rather than a spaceship.  
  
So there she was, standing on the edge of the Nemesis’s starboard - it's right side. Maybe standing on the bow would have been more dramatic, but considering the command bridge had a clear view of it Y/n didn’t even consider it. First of all, she would be distracting the mechs working there – Kody and Megatron included – and second, she wouldn’t be able to feel as immersed in the moment knowing that everyone on the command bridge could see her. So the side of the ship was a good place to be and it offered a view that was identical to the one from the bow, so Y/n was more than satisfied.

 

Another gust of wind hit her and the young woman took a deep breath, closing her eyes as a smile graced her lips. Today, she was going to fly outside the ship. The thought made her heart beat faster and her hands tremble slightly in anticipation, grasping her helmet tighter. Laserbeak was hovering by her side – was he also enjoying the view or was he just patiently waiting for Y/n to take flight? Either way, the deployer was silent and the girl appreciated him not hurrying her. For all of her overwhelming desire to just jump off, her base human instincts kept flaring up in her mind, telling her that humans were not meant to fly, that jumping off would mean certain doom. Y/n knew better though and if she ever had a fear of heights, perching on the shoulders of giant alien creatures and flying around the warship had ridden her of it, instead instilling into her a firm belief that – as long as she had her wings attached – she was safe in the air. The Nemesis currently hovered at the altitude of about 4.5 kilometres above sea level, the temperature being a very manageable minus 12 degrees Celsius. The young woman noted to herself that right now they were at a perfect stargazing altitude. Any closer to the stratosphere and the temperature would very quickly approach -40 and then -65 degrees, any lower and the vessel would be faced with flying through the clouds. She should invite Megatron to spend some time with her on the roof, the girl thought before returning to enjoying her current situation. She opened her arms, taking a deep breath while enjoying the cold air on her skin and looking ahead with a feeling of freedom that she had never felt before in her life.

Finally, the young woman took another deep breath, put on the helmet she got from Knockout and walked up to the very edge of the ship. The HUD lit up, purple letters and numbers helpfully showing her various data on the speed and direction of the wind and on the status of her wings, but after glancing over it the young woman dismissed all of it in favour of having a completely clear view in front of her. The wind, the steady rumbling of the Nemesis’ engines and her own quick heartbeat were the only sounds she heard, and Y/n focused on these sounds for a couple of moments, noticing how all of her human instincts were now _screaming_ at her to get away from the edge of the spaceship.

 

Finally, she jumped off.

 

The moment she felt gravity grab her and try to forcefully drag her down, Y/n instinctively sent a mental command to her wings, sending herself higher up into the air in one swift move, her breath catching in her throat as the sky instantly grew that much closer. She could feel herself getting drunk on the heady feeling of freedom already and by the time she heard Laserbeak fly behind her she already dove down towards he clouds. The air currents created an incredible feeling under and above her, almost as if guiding her, and she could feel tears of joy welling up in her eyes.

The moment she was next to the clouds, Y/n changed her trajectory to fly along the surface of them, reaching out to touch them. Even though she wore gloves, it felt absolutely incredible and the closest Y/n could think of to compare it to was touching the type of fog that came from dry ice. As she lifted her hand, a white veil of cloud came out with it, seeping through her fingers and disappearing behind the girl in a moment. She was touching _actual clouds_  as she flew further away from the Nemesis and the sky above her seemed endless as did the white fluffy field under her. Her heart was beating fast, with every breath she felt like she was never this alive. She grinned, overfilled with joy almost to the point where it felt that she was going mad. Y/n heard herself laugh and threw her head back to look at the sky, her visor instantly darkening to dark grey, guarding her eyesight from the blinding sunlight.

A whirring, chirping sound came from behind and then from beside her, and the young woman turned her head to look at Laserbeak who now flew next to her. They shared a momentary glance before the deployer turned his body to the side, all of the wings on his right dipping into the cloud. It looked fun and Y/n didn’t waste time before trying to repeat after the mini-con. Flying sideways wasn’t anything new - banked turns were a regular thing in her flying repertoire by now – but the feeling of flying outside, her right wing pointing to the gorgeous azure sky, the tip of her left one leaving a narrow, almost instantly disappearing furrow of in the cloud…

 

It was almost more than she could handle, Y/n was sure she was close to temporarily go insane with glee.

 

Laserbeak’s visor flashed momentarily – or was it the sunlight catching on it? – and flew faster, urging Y/n to follow with a noise the girl had never heard the deployer make – a sort of high-pitched whirring that stirred her very soul with how genuinely pleased, _joyful_ it sounded. Moments like these, they were the most treasured ones for her and if Y/n wasn’t already crying tears of joy behind her visor she would have teared up at hearing something like that from the mini-con who she came to consider her friend. As it was, however, the young woman let out a happy laugh, quickly blinked away the tears and, realigning herself to fly straight, followed the deployer, excited to push her wings to their limits.

 

A bank upward and into a loop that ended in a double spin, wings sprawled wide right after to glide steadily – the movements, the speed, the freedom left her breathless from how happy she felt. The sensory link to the alien control device was almost enough to feel the wind currents under the wings as if they were part of Y/n’s body. Gliding on wind currents over the clouds, taking deep breaths of chilly air, the faintest note of salt in it reminding her that somewhere down below, under the clouds, there was an ocean – all of it was indescribable, it filled Y/n’s heart with so much emotion it was borderline painful. Laserbeak was once again beside her, probably content with letting her decide on their flight path.

Having regained at least some of her calmness, the young woman made a sharp turn, raising up the upper layer of the cloud she was flying over as she shot down and back towards the Nemesis. Laserbeak followed her soon and it crossed her mind that, because she is smaller, she is able to manoeuvre much quicker in comparison to the larger wing bearers of Cybertronian origin. Sounds reasonable. Speaking of manoeuvres, it was time to try out the speed her wings could _actually_ reach. The girl brought up her HUD and switched off the last restriction of the safety protocol Knockout had installed back when she had almost killed herself during her first flight indoors. She had learned a lot since then, and Knockout gradually switched off more and more restrictions off. The final speed restriction, however, was left on by Y/n herself since there was no need for such speeds in the enclosed space of the warship. The HUD confirmed the sensory feedback from her wings – now, that one last restriction was deactivated and she could really see what her wings were capable of.

“Laserbeak, I’m gonna go a little crazy in a sec, no worries,” she decided to warn through their open line of communication and the moment she got an ‘O.K.’ message, Y/n took a deep breath and willed a 40%  increase to her normal speed. The next moment, two things happened – she yelped and she was suddenly _a lot_ farther away from Laserbeak.

“Wow, okay, _okay_ ,” she murmured to herself, half-terrified and half-ecstatic, the HUD skymap to her upper left showing that Laserbeak was quickly gaining on her. She wondered if things got a bit more interesting for the deployer just then. She flew around with this added speed for a bit, getting used to manoeuvring and just the feeling of covering so much distance so quickly. Soon, she upped the speed to +50%, then to +60%. She had no idea how much time had passed, the only thing she knew was that she couldn’t get enough of flying outside the ship, with Laserbeak by her side and the Nemesis hovering in the distance.

 

...

 

“You know, I was explained the concept behind it but it's still shocking to me,” she said to Laserbeak once she took a little break, hovering over a cloud, amusing herself by pretending she stood on it while occasionally stirring it with her foot, “Making such a large ship invisible to human tech I can understand, but to the naked eye…?”

As if presenting evidence, Y/n let the visor slide up into the casing of the helmet, leaving a V-shaped hole in her headgear, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the unfiltered brightness of everything around her. The massive alien warship she just saw far way to the right of them was supposed to be now gone, replaced by clouds and clear sky, at least that’s how it was explained to her by Megatron. It wasn’t.

“I still see it,” the young woman says, surprised, “I…I guess the spell doesn’t work on me, huh?”

Laserbeak makes a few thoughtful notes while Y/n takes a moment to be impressed by her DNA, such a vital part of which was left dormant for most of her life. While the cloaking field was active, the Nemesis couldn't be seen by the naked human eye unless in close enough proximity to step inside the field’s borders, but there was little chance of a human just accidentally walking by at an altitude of 4.5 kilometres above sea level. Aside from the nice, even proud feeling she got from not being affected by the human-targeted cloaking field, the girl - somewhere deep inside - felt a little uneasy. It was scary, she thought. If Cybertronians could easily hide a city-sized warship from both human radars and eyesight like that, what else could they do without humans noticing? Oh right, fight an honest-to-god war. Y/n hoped that none of Autobot warships would ever reach Earth. The Nemesis just cruised the skies, doing no wrong aside from looking really ominously, but if Optimus Prime had something like that on Y/n’s planet, the young woman would gladly sacrifice her life to take something like that out of the sky.

 

Something bumped into her upper right arm and she snapped out of thought, looking down to see Laserbeak’s tentacle there, feelers moving about slowly, their tips lightly tapping Y/n’s arm. It was adorable.

“Sorry, just thinking,” the young woman reassured the bird-like Decepticon, putting a hand on the end of the metallic appendage in sign of gratitude and friendliness. The small purple visor flashed in acknowledgement and Y/n smiled, but realised that the deployer couldn’t possibly see it because of her helmet. Come to think of it, a little fresh air on her skin wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Taking her hand off the tentacle, the young woman sent a mental command for the helmet to demagnetise from the wing control device on the back of her neck now making it possible for the headgear to be removed. Hooking her thumbs under the helmet, she took a deep breath of filtered, oxygen-filled air before taking off the headgear and letting the cold air to touch her face. It felt very different like this and the girl focused on the feeling of the air currents on her skin and in her hair, the brightness all around that made her half-close her eyes for a moment while they fully adjusted. Looking at the Decepticon flagship in the distance, she slowly breathed out, the wind carrying away the white cloud of her warm breath somewhere behind her. The girl then began breathing in just as slowly. It usually took but a moment for her body to readjust to the different air composition before she felt completely comfortable, so her next breath was already relaxed and deep. The girl pressed her helmet to her chest with one hand and casually wiped off the traces of dried tears off her cheeks and the corners of her eyes before addressing her companion:

“I’m sure you’re long since used to the view, but your ship looks really cool,” Y/n said as she admired the Nemesis – sure, it was all dark metal and all sharp edges, but there was a war going on and nothing beats having a ship that makes your enemy immediately think ‘We’re fucked’. On Y/n’s end, she grew to really like the dark flying fortress and came to associate it with safety and comfort. Laserbeak gave an approving digital chirp, and she turned to look at the small Cybertronian by her side.

“Thank you for accompanying me today, Laserbeak,” the girl said as she smiled at him warmly, her e/c eyes brimming with joy as she remembered the recent moments of them flying together, “This is one of the happiest days of my life.”

The deployer’s small purple visor lit up briefly as he stayed silent for a moment, before excitedly chirping and moving all three sets of his wings – an action that Y/n quickly mirrored with her own wings as she gave a mirthful chuckle. Both of the smallest inhabitants of the Nemesis enjoyed this calm, warm moment in the chilly skies of her planet before Y/n decided that it was time to return to flying - she still hadn’t had nearly enough of it for today.

“Catch!” the girl exclaimed before suddenly throwing the helmet into the air and flying off while Laserbeak used his tentacles to secure the thing. The cold air rushing into her face stung somewhat, but Y/n gladly paid that price for the breathtakingly amazing feeling of the wind on her skin and in her hair as she flew higher up, spinning and smiling joyfully, opening her arms as if to embrace the wide, endless skies while she glided on the wind currents. Laserbeak caught up with her almost immediately, unsurprisingly. The girl gave him a mischievous smile and a wink before quickly diving down, the deployer hot on her tail as she flew straight into a cloud, it swallowing them both soundlessly. They re-emerged momentarily, flying up to the sky and leaving a trail of white behind them for several meters up, Y/n laughing in delight as she wiped the cold dampness off her face – well, so much for the childhood fantasy of falling into a cloud and it being soft and fluffy like cotton candy. Laserbeak followed her around as Y/n switched between flying at different altitudes and speeds, took off her gloves and had her fill of touching clouds with her bare hands and even played an improvised game of Marco Polo in the clouds with him. They switched roles when, as they were flying side by side, Y/n grinned and nodded ahead of herself encouragingly, prompting Laserbeak to quickly take lead and teach her a few new moves, as well as starting a game of tag with Y/n, where he had the advantage of expert flying abilities and extendable tentacles, but Y/n was fast and small, so she could easily outmanoeuvre someone so much larger than her if her reaction was quick enough. The game got pretty intense - the high-speed chase, the need to constantly quickly dodge fast, persistent tentacles and the low-oxygen levels in the air enough to make her dizzy. But it was a good kind of dizzy, a kind that was accompanied by childish joy and the feeling of living life to its fullest. At one moment, as she dodged another swipe of a metal tentacle, Y/n backflipped onto the deployer’s back and grabbed onto his upper wings while deactivating her own.

“Hi there,” she grinned, wondering what Laserbeak would do now. He used to sometimes transport her on his back before she got her wings, and even after she gained the ability to fly the mini-con would still sometimes take her on fun flights through the halls of the Nemesis or play the role of a sort of mechanical bull while in her room. So, the girl wondered, what would he do now?

She heard a sound, like a prolonged bird warble of sorts, but there was something to it that made it sound almost like and insidious chuckle and that made Y/n grab on more securely and hook her feet under his first pair of wings. Good thing she did, because in a second she was already upside down, Laserbeak flying up and down and in all possible directions, trying to shake her off. The power in his body was amazing, each movement throwing her own body around while she held on for dear life, screaming and laughing in both fun and instinctive fear for her life. To Laserbeak’s credit, he didn’t move his upper set of wings, the ones Y/n held on to – after all, all this was only a game, if he really wanted to get her off himself she would be off him almost instantly. When he finally stopped, Y/n laughing through her heavy breathing while still on her adrenaline high, the mini-con reached out with his tentacles, offering her helmet back to her.

“Hm? Tired of holding onto it?” she asked, slightly confused, but as the helmet was dangled in from of her, she accepted it and put it on. As the HUD came online she saw that she had a new incoming message from Soundwave. Curious, she opened it and her eyes lit up once she read it.

 

_[Descent to lower altitudes approved.]_

 

Oh. Ooooh.

 

Previously, Megatron asked her not to fly below the clouds, claiming that it was safer that way. Y/n gathered that it was done so that if her wings suddenly malfunctioned there was time for Laserbeak to catch her, but also suspected that the real reason was so that Megatron could have a visual on her from some of the Nemesis’s outer cameras. She, of course, agreed – the less she made him worry this time the more freedom she’d be given next time. But, apparently, the warlord reconsidered his decision. Y/n wondered how much of her flying around did he watch exactly - she’ll try and pull it out of him later. Right now, however…

With a joyful ‘Yieehoo!' , the girl jumped off Laserbeak’s back and dove into the clouds, coming out of the cloud with her wings already activated and ready, the semi-translucent bluish holomatter parts glimmering with moisture from the cloud that quickly was wiped off by the rush of air as Y/n let Earth’s gravity do its work while taking in the view, awestruck. Even though it was cloudy, the sight of the Pacific Ocean spreading in all directions, water covering everything as if no land existed on Earth at all - it was incredible. Air hitting her face and nothing but greyish navy blue water as the eye could see – Y/n took her time to enjoy the experience as she fell and fell, and fell. Four kilometres was a long way down, after all, so once she had enough of the feeling of freefalling, she added some speed to her descent, propelling herself down with a good flap of her wings. Hearing Laserbeak fly up next to her, she looked to the side and winked to him before bracing herself and adding an extra 50% to her speed. The water was suddenly closing in very quickly, and Y/n got a prickle of panic in her heart as the wish to fly parallel to the waterline was starting to get stronger and stronger. Self-preservation was a powerful thing. But how confident did she feel, both in herself and in Knockout’s invention she’d been wearing daily for months now?

In the end, it was about 200 metres from the ocean’s surface when she drastically dropped her speed and her HUD showed that it was 10 meters when she finally switched her trajectory and exhaled in relief, flying along the water’s surface now. Laserbeak appeared under her, flying about three meters above water, the tips of his lower set of wings touching the surface. As a winking smiley appeared in their open chat window, Y/n chuckled breathily.

“Show-off,” she chided him playfully and an amused whirr could be heard by her as she lowered herself to the mini-con’s level and then some more. Removing a glove, Y/n reached out and submerged her fingers to the second knuckle, leaving water to fly left and right from her hand. Her face was beginning to hurt from smiling so much that day, but she couldn’t help herself, it was all so surreal, she was so overfilled with emotion.

 

Then, she could suddenly sense something approaching, something from below. After looking down into the water, squinting to see though the darkness of its depths, Y/n suddenly threw Laserbeak a look. 

 

“Follow me,” she quickly said before flying up a good fifty meters into the air and stopping there, hovering with a curious deployer at her side. Not a minute later, a gigantic body of a humpback whale shot out of the water which they just flew over, the aquatic titan easily catching 14 metres in the air before crashing back into the ocean, raising giant waves and sending water flying everywhere. What a magnificent display, truly nature was amazing. Y/n couldn’t help but start giggling and soon that turned into full-blown laughter. Crossing her arms over her abdomen, she offered an idea between fits of giggles:

“Maybe let’s _not_ tell Megatron we came a little close to being squashed by a whale.”

As they watched more whales jump out of the water and then disappear into the ocean depths after causing a thunderous splash, Laserbeak’s nodded. Good, no one needed Megatron going all Captain Ahab; the species stood no chance if that ever happened.

 

 

*******

 

After he had lost visual on Y/n, Megatron powered down the datapad he had been watching her on and returned to his duties. There was an urge inside of him to keep watching, to order Laserbeak to broadcast to Megatron what he saw but, as much as the warlord liked to be in control of everything, it was obvious that Y/n was very competent and should be allowed her privacy, not to mention she had the deployer by her side and Megatron had work to do. He had already spent almost two full cycles constantly getting distracted by the feed from the Nemesis’s cameras. He wondered what would Y/n say if he told her he had been watching her almost constantly for nearly two and a half hours in her Earth time. Would she be flattered or would she apologise for being a distraction? Would she thank him for watching over her? Or would she tease him about not being able not to try and stay in control of everything? Who knows, because the warlord was not about to confess that what started out as concern for her safety turned into him simply admiring his lover as she enjoyed the skies for the very first time.

He knew how that felt like, though. Even if all of his other early flights were a race to quickly fully master a flying altmode so that he could be experienced enough for when the war inevitably began, his _first_ flight outside of the hangar he had trained in was the one he would probably remember until the day his spark would reunite with the Allspark. Should he maybe tell Y/n about it? Seemed like an appropriate occasion. Though, it was a very intimate memory. He decided that he would see how he feels about the idea later.

The sky outside had turned orange, then red, followed by purple before finally fully darkening, stars shining brilliantly above the Nemesis. Even the clouds under the warship have cleared, the pitch black ocean below now visible from the command bridge. A thought had crossed Megatron’s mind – the last time he had enjoyed the night sky together with Y/n was a while ago. Perhaps, he should offer her to do that tonight, the warlord thought as he stood up from his throne, deeming that it was enough work for today. Hearing his heavy steps, the personnel on the bridge quickly turned around and properly saluted him as he walked towards the exit from the command bridge. Once the doors behind him closed, the warlord sent a message to Y/n:

 

 

_Good evening. Are you in your room?_

 

 

He gota reply immediately, and it was not the one he had expected.

 

 

_Y/n: Good evening! Not yet, but I could be there in 5 minutes if you want to come over :)_

 

_Medbay?_

 

_Y/n: Nope. Guess again._

 

There were dozens of places on the Nemesis Y/n could be in,wh- _Wait._

 

 

_Y/n, are you still outside?_

 

_Y/n:…Possibly._

 

_Is Laserbeak with you?_

 

_Y/n:Yep, don’t worry!_

 

_You can tell him he may return to Soundwave, I will be out shortly._

 

_Y/n:Really? Yay! <3_

 

_I will be reprimanding you for being outside for so long._

 

_:(_

 

_The ‘emoticons’ still do not make me feel any shift in emotion._

 

_Y/n:Okay, okay. Come, tell me off. Just come to the flight deck, I’ve missed seeing you._

 

 

 

 

Megatron smirked to himself quietly. That little emotional manipulator.

 

 

 

***

 

 

He walks onto the flight deck of the Nemesis when Laserbeak is already gone and the deck’s cameras are already off. His pedes hitting the metal are the only thing aside from the warship’s engines that can be heard in the night. The moon had risen, making the metal of his ship and his frame reflect the silvery white light of Earth’s only natural satellite. Looking around, Megatron notices movement out of the corner of his left optic and turns his helm just in time to see Y/n fly up to the Nemesis while taking off her helmet. The silvery glow of the moon suits his lover’s features very nicely, the mech thinks as his optics warm up upon seeing her and as he slowly raises a servo palm up, inviting her to land. And she does land, but only after she flies up to his face and places a kiss on the left corner of his lips. The amount of how much he should feel it should be miniscule, but against all logic he can feel a tingle shoot up his back-strut and his spark skip a beat because of this tiny affectionate gesture. Because of this, he stays silent for a moment longer, so the one to speak first is actually Y/n:

 

“Thank you,” she says, her features soft and her e/c eyes warm and fond, “All of this – I would have never be able to have this if not for you.”

Her voice is calm but full of affection and it makes his spark ache in the most torturously pleasant way. The warlord’s usual stern expression is replaced by a more affectionate one – he likes both the fact that he made Y/n happy and that she appreciates him.

“You are welcome, Y/n,” he replies, his voice a quiet rumble, “Though, you are here thanks to your own accomplishments in learning to fly. If you were not ready, I would never have approved of your departure from the Nemesis.”

“Would you have send Soundwave to intercept or just stand in front of the exit with an angry expression?” the girl questions, her smile turning to a bit more playful one. A smile insistently tugs at the corners of his lips as he tries to keep his expression unreadable for at least a moment longer.

“The exit just would not open for you, Y/n,” he deadpans, and as his lover chuckles.

“Oh that is just boring,” the girl says with a smile as she gently taps her foot on his palm and he finally allows himself to smile a bit.

“Ow,” he says quickly and the momentary look of panic on his lover’s face makes him smile in earnest.

“Stop messing with me!” Y/n grins as she tries and fails to sound even a little angry. Even though by now she knew Megatron’s frame and how durable it was, his lover’s first instinctive reaction was still like this. Adorable.

“As you wish,” Megatron says calmly before raising an optic ridge and making his voice sound just a little stricter, “Would you like to explain to me why you spent so many hours outside?”

 

Y/n’s smile turns apologetic, her gaze drops to his servo and she holds her helmet closer to her body. Megatron becomes slightly confused. She does know he is not telling her off in earnest, right?

 

“I mean, I thought you mentioned you would join me, so I decided to wait. But you never came, so, well…”

As he listened to her quiet voice and sad chuckle, the warlord frantically tried to remember when did he ever say- Wait an astrosecond.

 _“Y/n”_ , he calls out to her, a warning in his voice, and as she lifts her head he sees that she’s smiling smugly.

“That was revenge for you making me worry just now, we’re even now,” his lover announces with the most innocent of smiles, and he can’t really argue. Letting a somewhat judging expression linger on his faceplate for a moment, he finally sighs and looks at the young woman with mild amusement.

“Fair enough, Y/n. Now, will you tell me what really was the reason for you staying out here for so long?”

 

The winged human chuckles and shrugs before looking to the side, at the night sky, and elaborating:

“I don’t know. Everything? The feeling of flying, the things Laserbeak could teach me with all this unlimited space to fly around and practice in. Every time I considered going back, the sky would turn a different shade and I wanted to fly around and look at it, how it coloured the clouds and how those different colours made the Nemesis look from a distance. I know it might sound like I’m overly impressionable, but those were my reasons.”

“If I am to be honest, those are actually good reasons. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, I hoped you would,” Megatron says, offering Y/n a look of approval and affection. Her eyes light up at that, and at moments like this the warlord feels like praising himself for actually letting the girl see his affection, hear it in his voice instead of internalising most of it due to an age-old habit.

“I did, I really did. Though, I think I may have tired Laserbeak out a little,” the young woman smiles at him warmly and chuckles softly.

“I am sure he’s fine, I have a suspicion that he has been waiting for this for weeks,” the warlord assures her, his optics focusing on the silvery shimmer on his lover’s h/c hair for a moment. Though being a hindrance for stargazing, the moon could offer certain benefits as well it seems. 

“Tell me, Y/n, are you tired?” he asks her, both curious about how her body reacts for a day-long flight session and checking if she is potentially able to handle a little more of it. The girl shrugs, a smile playing on her lips as she turns her helmet in her hands.

“I would say not nearly as tired as I expected to be. You want to go on a short flight?” she asks jokingly, but as she looks at his expression, her eyes go wide with surprise, “You want to go flying with me?...”

“I would like to, yes,” he affirms, nodding calmly, “After all, why should Laserbeak get that privilege and not me?”

 _“’Privilege’,”_ Y/n chuckles, her voice a mix of amused and bashful, before giving him a joyful smile, “I would be honoured, _my lord_.”

 

She unfolds and spreads her wings as she gives him a graceful half-bow half-curtsy. And then..at one moment he’s admiring his small lover and the next she is already gone from his servo, hovering above him with the moonlight shining through the holomatter of her wings. Megatron smirks and, deciding to show off a little as well, jumps off the flight deck and transforms in the air. Y/n’s helmet is still in her hands, so he sees her stare in amazement at his transformation and it coats his spark in a warm, rich feeling of smugness and pride. He flies up and past her, mindful to keep a safe distance not to scare her while she is getting used to his altmode. His lover seems to marvel at it, though, and the last thing he sees before she puts her helmet on, is her lips spreading into a smile and moving as she quietly whispers ‘wow’.

The warlord orders a Groundbridge to be opened in the sky nearby, and he leads Y/n though it almost immediately after they both take to the sky, bringing her to a different location above the same ocean. If he intends on fully enjoying his time with Y/n, he should make sure no one is there to witness or interfere with it. The difference in size between them is obvious and at first Megatron thinks that the girl wouldn’t be comfortable keeping up with his default speed, but he soon learns that Knockout actually did a decent job at developing something for once, because Y/n not only keeps up with him, but teases him a bit by flying ahead or even around him. He finds it charming and can’t help but mess with her a little in return, tilting to either right or left, depending of where she currently is as if trying to graze her with his wing. The currents under his wings feel especially pleasant tonight, and the moonlight reflecting off the ocean’s surface below is also a nice sight, even if he doesn’t usually appreciate there being this much water everywhere on this planet.

 

Megatron’s protoform did not form into a flight frame when he came online, yet he remembers wanting to fly ever since he first saw Cybertron’s sky. Unfortunately, no one asked him. His frame was suitable for hard labour and could take severe stress and punishment, and even though the most comfortable ground-based altmode for him was a tank, mechs and femmes on the orientation committee had for some reason decided that during the  _peaceful and prosperous_ times Cybertron was _clearly_ in back then, someone like him would do best in the mines without a name or, hopefully, a long life cycle. Sometimes, Megatron wondered if back then they could somehow feel that the confused and naïve mech before them was destined to destroy the system that kept them living lavish and carefree lives while countless others died without even names to call their own. That was sentimental, though. Those committees sent mechs out to be used up to the last drop of Energon and then get discarded by the billions, it was not an uneasy feeling in the committees sparks that caused him to end up in the mines, it was the cold numbers in the work plan that dictated that the mines needed a certain amount of mechs that meta-cycle.

Well, he showed them who would dominate the skies during the war, didn’t he?

 

His gaze focuses on Y/n, who remained oblivious of his brief distracted state due to them currently just quietly flying over the expanse of dark, silver-adorned water at a relaxing speed. He can see her eyes through the clear visor, so he sees when she somehow feels him staring and glances at him, offering a friendly wink before accelerating and flying high up.

 _Yes, yes he sure showed them all,_  the mech thinks. And he _will_ defeat Prime, he will rebuild Cybertron into a powerful empire under his rule, and Y/n…She will be by his side, should she choose to leave Earth. Megatron had already decided on inviting her with him, whenever the time to leave the blue planet would inevitably come. For now, however, he will wait with offering her that choice. After all, with Earth being the only home that she had ever known, the mech is fairly certain that there is a significant chance of her decision not being in his favour. But he will work on that. Letting go of Y/n is _not_ something he plans to do.

He follows her up, higher and higher into the sky until he is about to comm her that it is getting too cold for someone like her, but the girl suddenly flips with such speed that he only sees a blur of her wings before she dives straight down. Megatron quickly spins, reorienting himself in the air and follows her down. He chases her through the air and each time he comes close she quickly escapes him by making use of her small stature and high manoeuvrability. What a fine seeker she would have made were she born Cybertronian, Megatron thinks for an astro-second before reminding himself that he would not wish it on anyone to be born on Cybertron during his age, especially not Y/n. The young woman is perfect as she is, anyway.

The warlord enjoys chasing her, he lets the task take priority in his mind, putting aside both his military and all other kinds of thought, just spending time with Y/n as they fly though the skies with only the stars and the moon as their witnesses. Eventually, the mech catches Y/n by outsmarting her, using the fact that she wasn’t used to thinking of the advantages the nature of his species offered. He goes slower as he flies up to where she is hovering, and whatever she is prepared for, she is sure that he will have to continue moving along like human jets do. Instead, as he is about reach her altitude, Megatron suddenly transforms.

 

 

He sees Y/n’s eyes widen in shock before he catches her into his servos, caging her between wide palms and long digits with a loud clashing sound as he brings his servos together. A second later, he’s already falling back-first through the sky and towards the ocean at a speed that is appropriate for his frame’s mass in the conditions of Earth’s gravity. Which is to say, **_very fast._**

 

 

Y/n lets out an instinctive shriek that pushes the feeling of his victory aside, making him feel bad for scaring her, but as she starts to laugh he is reassured that she’s actually fine and still enjoying herself.

“I meant it as ‘catch up to me’, not literally!!” the girl screams through the rushing wind and Megatron shows her his sharp dentas as he grins.

“So did I win?” he calmly asks through the comm link as if they weren’t nearing the surface of the ocean rapidly.

_“Megatron!”_

He can feel her getting slightly nervous.

“Say it,” he says slowly as if chiding, taking his sweet time. He didn’t want to scare her, but a little teasing wouldn’t hurt.

“Okay, a swim in the ocean it is then!” the young woman tries to play stubborn while he clearly hears panicky notes in her laughter.

The warlord smirks, raising an optic ridge and looking behind himself for dramatic effect. He knows how far they’re off thanks to his systems and so does Y/n for that matter, but the game right now is too fun not to play along. Plus, he normally never hears the girl scream, so this is a very amusing display.

“Cybertronians are bad with large bodies of water,” Megatron informs her and hears Y/n smirk nervously. He supposes that – even with seeing the data on her HUD – for someone as new to all of this as Y/n, her basic programming is currently screaming at her to get out. He’s ready to let her go, he’s sure she will accept his victory momentarily.

“I’ll tell Soundwave you loved him,” Y/n says gravely, crossing her arms as the force of the mech’s fall is pressing her much lighter wings and body to the tops of his digits.

 

Ah, so _that’s_ how it is.

 

“This will not be nearly enough to kill me. But the resources to recover me from the depths will come out of your pay check as Knockout’s assistant. You will pay me back in approximately 515 human years, provided the war lasts that long,” Megatron smirks.

“Hell no!” she exclaims in indignation and it makes him chuckle, “You’ll have to _walk_ to shore, let’s hope the bottom of the ocean is at least somewhat even here!”

“I will punish you,” he tries to threaten, noting at the back of his mind that they’ve passed the one-kilometre mark until sea level. At the speed they’re falling, Y/n should be quite nervous by n-

“Stop being kinky and let me gooooo!” she whines, and then laughs at the highly amused look he gives her, “You win, you win! You’ve won fair and square now let go!”

Y/n gets smug smirk before his servos part and Megatron’s frame rushes down much quicker than her small one. The steel-coloured mech quickly transforms and flies up, passing Y/n who is hovering in place, catching her breath, her helmet in her hands. She looks up at him, a wide grin on her face.

“You are insufferable,” she says into the helmet, her e/c eyes still focused on him, “Know that I only forgive you because of your devilishly good looks.”

Megatron can’t help but chuckle at that.

 

 

They return home soon after that, exiting the green-and-blue vortex and flying up to the warship’s flight deck. Megatron transforms and lands first, the thunderous crash of his pedes hitting the metal of the warship reverberating in the air as he rises up to his full height. Y/n lands soundlessly and gracefully onto his servo, taking off her helmet right after. And as she looks up at him, she is met with an approving, even prideful gaze of crimson optics.

“You fly beautifully,” the warlord says, hoping that his voice is enough to carry across the sincerity of the compliment. Treating one’s beloved properly was a skill that he never honed because he never intended having the weakness of genuinely cherishing someone. So even if he knew the right words to describe what was going through his mind and spark, it was not always easy actually voicing them. He was improving, however, and Y/n was observant enough to gather what was left unsaid from both his expressions and his voice.

He thinks he sees his lover’s cheeks darken with a slight blush and it makes his spark beat faster, spreading warm throughout his chassis.

“Thank you,” Y/n replies as a gentle, fond smile adorns her face, “As do you, you are magnificent in the air.”

Megatron smiles and nods in gratitude. He is in high spirits right now, so a joking reply comes to mind, but as he wonders if he should voice it, Y/n seems to read his expression and speaks in mock self-defence:

“I was not implying the Great Lord Megatron is not magnificent when not in the air, he is very handsome in any form.”

 

They both chuckle and Megatron wonders to himself how surprisingly in synch they have become by now, at least in some aspects. It is both a little worrying and very uplifting. The mech hums, looking at his lover with thoughtful smugness.

 

“I can recollect you forgiving me for that same reason,” he reminds her and the girl smirks.

“Megatron, when someone forgives you for dropping them from 4.6 kilometres to 0.5 with the speed of a crashing plane because of your looks, you better believe they think of you as very attractive.”

“Ah, well thank you. It is a pleasure to be considered attractive by someone who I consider to be gorgeous,” the warlord rumbles softly, raising his servo a bit higher to have Y/n at least little closer. The flirty playfulness makes way for gentle affection in Y/n’s expression as her shoulders relax and her smile becomes so loving it makes his spark ache. He wishes he could kiss her and hold her right now the way his current frame is unable to. Instead, he lets his own fondness for the young woman show on his faceplate.

“You have a beautiful smile,” he hears her say softly as she admires him lovingly, and it is both simple and effective, as it suddenly makes him feel something he had only felt on few rare occasion since he met Y/n. The metal of his cheeks feels warmer. He tries to seem as if he doesn’t feel Energon rushing to his faceplate, instead giving an impression of calmly accepting the pleasant surprise of her words, nodding and thanking her curtly. Maybe a little too curtly. _Whatever, Y/n knows what he meant._ As he looks at the girl, he realises by the look on her face that she understands everything a little _too_ well. Megatron internally curses. Every time this happens he feels ridiculous. Even still, his spark is pulsing strongly and joyfully at the compliment, disregarding his pride and habits entirely.

They stay on the flight deck for a bit longer, looking at the stars and talking softly as Megatron’s servos protect the young woman from the wind. It was a very eventful, emotional day for Y/n and the warlord wants to hear about how her first flight outside felt. She rests her back against his chassis as her folded wings lay to the side of her, she tells him about the initial rush of panic when one's faced with falling through the sky, about the heady feeling of freedom, about the constant rush of adrenaline as long as you’re in the air. He nods, understanding perfectly even though his own first flight was long, long ago. He decides to offer to tell her about his first experience flying and, of course, she would love to hear it. He agrees to tell, but on the condition that they relocate somewhere warmer.

 

Half an hour later he is sitting on Y/n’s bed and the young woman herself is sitting on his lap, all warm and relaxed after a hot shower. Her freshly-dried hair smells of something faintly sweet as it rests on his chassis and her hands are soft and gentle as she holds the servo that isn’t currently on her waist. The warlord traces circles on her bathrobe-covered side with his thumb and starts with telling her about how he first flew in the open sky, skipping the part where he awkwardly adjusted to the new altmode and trained so intensely that he actually powered-down several times right there in the abandoned hangar he used as his learning and training grounds. Truth be told, clawing through exhaustion and pain was something so ordinary for him back then that he probably would not be remember much of his flight training anyway. So he told his lover about how - after being confident in both his altmode and his understanding of flying basics - he walked outside one night and, after transforming, took to the skies. The first hundred meters he was used to from training, but after that was new territory, so he clearly remembers the feeling of overwhelming freedom starting to fill his spark at altitude 100+. Megatron confides in the young woman that, overjoyed, he rushed higher and higher and when the thought to look down it was so high up that his systems froze for a moment, trying to comprehend something what he had never seen or experienced before. For the pleasing of his own ego and to maintain his image in Y/n’s eyes, he immediately shares with her the fact that he had mastered the basic tactical moves for flying warframes so quickly that even Soundwave was impressed. Speaking of Soundwave, here’s a piece of information she will not find in any historical records – after Megatron’s first flight, as the sun was rising and colouring Cybertron’s sky in blues and yellows, he was met by Soundwave who had offered him a cube of premium highgrade in celebration.

 

Y/n raises her head off his chassis and looks at him funny.

 

He gives her a questioning look as she reaches out to her bedside table and grabs her phone. The girl then shows him a photo that Laserbeak snapped earlier that day – it shows a grinning Y/n holding a small pack of juice with a straw sticking out of it and Laserbeak with one of his probes holding a mini-con-intended ampoule of Energon. It is an absolutely ridiculous photo. Megatron needs it.

“Laserbeak gave me the juice shortly before your arrival,” the young woman clarified with a chuckle, “I guess old habits die hard?”

“It seems so,” he agrees and, as the small device is still in the girl’s hand, reaches out and starts slowly and deliberately tapping and swiping on it while his lover watches with curiosity.

 

_Gallery…Received files…Select image…Share with…_

 

Y/n doesn’t say anything, but smiles and kisses him on the cheek as he puts away her phone as far as the bedside table would let him. He has seen those four chat windows - insistently blinking, reminding the girl that there were messages from the others that she has not yet read.

“No?” Y/n asks playfully as her arms go around his neck. He gives her an unenthusiastic look. It is not like he would earnestly forbid her to reply to all those messages from Knockout and whoever else, but the evening is very nice and he is very selfish…

“Kidding,” she whispers with a smile before turning her head and yawning into her shoulder sweetly. The young woman then looks back at him with affection and presses her forehead to his, closing her eyes and speaking softly:

“Thank you for sharing that memory with me, Megatron.”

He nods slightly and shuts his optics as holds his lover closer.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Point of the chapter: Laserbeak is a real bro.
> 
> Megatron is cool too, I guess.


	48. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n and Megatron share the experience of that year's first thunderstorm.

 

 

The fields seem to go on forever, the tall grass and wild flowers that grow on them as well as the sky that stretches out above them are all the eye can see. It would probably be a peaceful sight if the conditions were different, however right now the sky is full of heavy dark grey clouds that hover above menacingly. A not quite cold, but powerful wind bends the flora of the fields violently towards the ground, calming down briefly only to return with even more force, almost as if there is a giant invisible creature thrashing in the fields.

There is no creature, of course, Megatron is just getting too poetic in his thoughts and he is fairly certain that the one who caused him to be here is the reason for that, too. She stands in front of him, her back turned to him as she looks on into the distance. The wind violently throws her h/c hair and the skirt of her silvery grey dress from side to side, but her body is calm, her posture relaxed like she is an island of serenity amidst the waves of a storming ocean. That dress, though, it bothers him - it is long, yes, but made of that one material that is lightweight but provides no warmth whatsoever. Chiffon, that’s it. To top it off, it has no sleeves, only the thin straps of it hold the piece of clothing on his lover and despite his optics telling him that she obviously is not in any discomfort, his spark is nudging him, annoyingly so, to rectify the young woman’s decision to be so exposed to the harsh wind. He came here to find out what she was up to, and now that he did he was willing to know _why_ she was here, in the middle of nowhere, especially when it was obviously going to start raining soon.

 

“I think I would be able to hear your footsteps from half the field away,” he hears her chuckle, the wind desperately trying to steal the sound of her voice from him. But even if he was made of holomatter right now, he still proved superior to Earth’s elements – he could hear Y/n’s voice clearly, and that voice and the little chuckle at the end of the sentence were enough to make his spark beat just a bit faster.

“Is that so?” he asks, the right corner of his metal lips lifting as his voice holds notes of amusement in it. He stands behind her, just a couple of meters away. He originally stopped to enjoy the view, the image of his lover – so very beautiful, with the colours of dark clouds and tall grass serving as such a contrasting grim backdrop – it is somehow enchanting, worth pausing and committing to memory. But now he still does not move, even though he has the urge to just come up to the girl, capture her into his embrace and keep her there until he brought her somewhere warmer. But she came here for a reason and she is waiting for something. So, he stands and waits as well.

“Y/n,” he speaks again, and he knows that she hears him despite the wind by the way she moves her shoulder slightly in acknowledgement – it is an endearing little movement and her shoulders are so very pretty, yet he does not allow himself to get too distracted, “Why would you want to be here?”

“A storm will start any minute now,” the young woman answers him and, as she clasps her hands behind her back, he can see by her shoulders rising that she is taking a long, deep breath, “I felt in the mood for a storm all of a sudden.”

He considers her words. He can see how there could be beauty found in something like that, he supposes, he himself has observed many different kinds of storms on different planets and of different chemical compositions. Not to mention space storms – those could be _quite difficult_ if one’s ship got caught in it, but that did not make it any less fascinating to observe from a distance. He nods even though the girl can’t see it and raises his helm to observe the ever-darkening sky, pulling up weather scans in his processor.

“It should indeed begin shortly,” he informs, not particularly interested in being showered with cold water but not too passionately opposed to it either. Water is not something cybertronians fear, at least not in the form of rain, and he has lived for far too long to be bothered by some dihydrogen monoxide falling from the sky. His lover seems to like water a lot – taking baths or escaping to Earth’s plentiful bodies of water was something she liked to do quite often. If only because of that, he is not against staying and standing in the rain for a while.

“You ran a scan?” Y/n asks and he answers affirmatively. She hums to herself before speaking again: “Would you like to stay? Or did you come to bring me home?”

He replies calmly, telling Y/n that she does not have to worry and he is merely here because he would like to keep her company if she so desires. He doesn’t notice it, but his military habits kick in as he tells her this, his servos clasping behind his back and his backstrut straitening. So, as she turns around and smiles at him fondly, he just stands there looking like some enamoured recruit for no other reason except because Y/n just has that effect on him sometimes. A glance, a smile, a word is enough to seemingly throw his frame into momentary lockdown, diverting all power into the act of just _looking._ He does not think he looks stupid in these moments, he _feels_ like he looks stupid, but he is fairly sure his expression is not too embarrassingly see-through. At least, judging by the young woman’s warm smiles, she likes what she sees.

 

A sudden, powerful gust of wind rushes over the fields, washing over them like a wave, making his lover’s hair and dress swing to the left and flutter wildly.

And she laughs.

 

He sees the glimmer of excitement in her eyes as the wind picks up even more. He watches her run her hand through her hair and turn back towards the fields she was previously looking at. Her head raises and she looks into the distance, where the darkest clouds are gathered.

“Can you smell it? Let the scans be, just take a deep breath,” she asks of him and he complies and takes a deep breath like he would when wanting to cool down his internal systems. His olfactory sensors pick up on how the air smells of grass, of flowers that he knows no names of and, most prominently, of ozone. Suddenly, lightning flashes in the distance and another rush of wind makes the tall grass of the fields ripple as if they were waves in a stormy sea. He sees Y/n’s shoulders tense just a little as she holds her breath, but he is sure that is excitement and not fear. The young woman takes another deep breath, and slowly raises her arms, opening them wide almost as if expecting an embrace from someone. Her palms are turned up and her head is now slightly thrown back and before he comes to a conclusion on what he thinks about her actions, he hears thunder rumbling – at first far away but then closer, as if there was something titanic in size rolling towards them above the clouds. Y/n finally breathes out and a moment later, he hears her speak again, her voice quick:

 

“I know you can hear it too. Try it, close your eyes. Listen, listen!”

 

He is not quite sure what she wants him to listen to, but he obliges. He closes his optics and listens closely to everything around them – the howling wind, the rustling of the grass, the occasional faraway thunder. It is all so loud and noticeable that he doesn’t spot the other thing at first. But, once he does, it is impossible to ignore – there is a sound, a whispering sound that is quickly becoming closer and closer. It is so quick and grows louder so fast it is almost alarming. Or would be, if he did not know what it was. It was rain, raindrops hitting the grass and earth – at first far away, then closer, even closer, until it was nearly upon them. He opens his optics then, just in time to see another lighting cross the sky – this one flashes closer to them and the thunder comes quicker and much louder this time around. The sound somehow resonates with him, it makes him think simultaneously of both the rumble of the Nemesis’ engines and the roar and crackle weapons firing on the battlefield. But there are no warships here, no battles to be fought – only this planet’s meteorological event, only the show Earth's nature has to offer. It is easy to tell himself that he could appreciate it for the fact that Y/n is fascinated by it, but he knows that he, too, is starting to get some enjoyment out of all of this. Smelling the air, listening to his surroundings, getting a _feel_ for a place – it was something he usually did to assess a place as a potential battlefield, when given the opportunity. This – this was something else entirely. He couldn’t remember when he did things like this before Y/n came into his life.

Lightning strikes again and this time the thunder follows immediately, the air tingling with vibrations from it and even the wind itself seemingly stilling in fear.

“And…there,” he hears Y/n speak in a hushed voice, probably to herself. Suddenly, the sound of coming rain is obvious, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He throws a glance forward and sees the approaching wall of water, the grass bending under it. He looks back to Y/n and sees the first drop of rain hit her open palm, the drop is so big that as it splatters part of it flows out of the girl’s hand. That moment as well as the image of Y/n welcoming the storm with open arms, looking like she herself brought it upon this land, it stays with Megatron for a second as several other large drops fall all around them and some – on him, droplets shattering upon colliding with a steel-coloured frame. Then, finally, the wall of water fully reaches them.

It’s warm, the water is warm and there is _a lot_ of it. Both of them instantly get soaked, and it reminds him of the shower he has in his hab-suite. The air feels clearer somehow and the smell of ozone and wet grass is many times stronger, but all of it doesn’t matter, because Y/n is looking at him now and it’s almost painful for his spark to see her so gleeful. She is soaked to the last thread of cloth, water is running down her body in small rivers and _she is just so beautiful._ Beautiful and _his._ He makes a step towards her and she happily leans forward, no doubt wanting to do the same. But lightning strikes right above them and, suddenly, there is a familiar shimmer in her eyes. He knows that look, it promises mischief. By the time thunder roars above them, the girl slightly parts her lips and throws him a look, one he wouldn’t ever confuse for anything else. It was one of the looks she threw him in bed, one of longing for him. To top it off, her wet, soft lips whisper his name and he can feel his frame starting to heat up immediately.

 

And then she darts to the side and starts running away from him.

 

His frame instinctively reaches after her, his arm almost halfway up before he realises what she is doing. It is only a moment, but Y/n is much more than human so it gives her a good head start. Megatron grins darkly and, as lightning flashes and thunder roars, his pedes dig into the ground and he dashes after the girl, the sheer impact of his start upturning the ground where he just stood. His pride tells him that this will be over quickly - his processor, however, knows that to be untrue. His lover is fast, agile and has the added benefit of him not considering her a moving target for his fusion cannon. Because he wouldn’t ever want to harm her. And because this was just a holomatter avatar, his fusion cannon does not work, it usually doesn't even manifest. So, this would prove to be interesting.

And it does. He chases after her - tall grass rustles as she runs by and then is trampled by him following, small puddles splash water around as she runs over them and are soon turned into large inhuman footprints in the dirt. It is not how humans would run after each other – it is much faster, much more intense, filled with incredibly fast sprints and dodges, and inhumanly long jumps - it is much more reminiscent of some carnivorous creatures engaged in a chase then lovers playing in a field. As Y/n glances back, her glowing blue eyes meeting the predatory gaze of fiery red optics, she once again darts to the side, slowing down only enough for her bare feet not to lose balance on the wet grass. She is having fun, that much is obvious, and by the way she easily prolongs the distance between them and then carefully shortens it to tease him, he knows she is hardly pushing the limits of her body. And while that grabs at his pride and makes him want to catch her even more, he also feels admiration for his lover. The thrill of the chase only intensifies as Y/n starts getting bolder, once even daring to slide on the wet grass right under him as he swipes to grab her. The growl he lets out after that is enough to send the girl running with a shriek that sounds about 75% scared. The rain gets heavier, lightning and thunder flashing and booming what seems like all the time, but if before it was something to be admired, now it only served as music to their game, providing some additional excitement as they ran in the fields. Oh, Y/n is an exciting prize to chase after. Fast but also smart, she almost immediately figures out how to use Megatron’s mass against him and proceeded to make quick, sharp turns knowing that he would not be able to make them just as fast because of the law of inertia. The ground is ploughed violently where the mech turns or kicks off the ground in attempts to jump the distance to get closer to the young woman. A few times he gets very close, making her let out screams that are equal parts delighted and terrified as he lands in front of her, making the ground around them shake, and tries to grab her. Every time, however, she slips away, Megatron’s clever strategies no match for her agility.

 

Or so she thinks.

 

The law of inertia cannot be cast aside completely - the rules of physics apply even to him - but Megatron would not be himself if he did not at least alter some parts of the equation to his advantage. Indeed, Y/n knows that his holoform is much taller and heavier than her body and by now she knows how close she can let him get before picking up speed again or going for a turn. But it all could change in an instant if he changed his mass to be less than it is now. Holomatter avatars are convenient that way – shifting one’s weight within certain limits is easy and that is what Megatron is aiming to do. He can’t make mistakes, though – he is sure Y/n would pick up on the change quickly and that would rob him of this advantage. So, once he comes up with a plan, he still lets her get away from him, lets her get away with teasing him for a short while – he will make her pay for that soon enough. But, finally, he sees an opportunity. Y/n tries not to use the same running pattern for too long or too regularly – and he can appreciate the strategy, it has kept him at bay for a while, after all – but he knows her body language _._

So, when he sees her shoulders tense just a bit more and her elbows spread just a bit wider, he knows she’s going for a turn. The footprints he leaves in the dirt become shallower and, once she makes a turn and slows down to look back as she has done many times before, she sees him smirking at her as he’s right behind her. She tries to get away, but he instantly pounces at her and it’s over - they’re on the ground with his arms trapping her under him. He can feel his optics glowing brightly, his spark pulsing like mad, he can’t stop looking at the woman he finally caught - at her wide Energon-blue eyes that are starting to turn back to their natural e/c, at her parted lips, at her rapidly rising and falling chest. His lips crash onto hers and her arms are around his neck instantly, bringing him as close as possible and he obliges with pleasure. His servos touch her neck and back and as soon as they do, she gasps into the kiss and leans into him even more, her thin wet dress barely serving as a barrier between their bodies. He means to hum into the kiss but it comes out as more of a husky growl. The sound of the rain hitting his frame is dull background noise to him, the delightful sounds his lover makes are the centre of his attention, it feels like – in this moment – it is the very thing that makes his spark beat. Y/n’s breaths, her moans, the feel of her lips on his – he wants more of it, he wants all the sounds and sensations he can wring from this moment, he wants to touch all of her, he wants to claim all of her for himself right there. It is a burning, almost mad desire. And when he leans back just a little, he sees that Y/n is looking up at him with the same obsessed look in her eyes. And when he kisses her once more, her kisses feel as hungry and he knows his feel to her... 

 

They return to the Nemesis via a direct Groundbridge to the young woman's room. The mech emerges from the green and blue vortex holding his lover in his arms, the wet tatters of her dress hanging off her body while not covering anything. Y/n can walk fine by herself, but Megatron isn't about to let do that her anytime soon - she is his prize, he had caught her and is now intent on holding on to her for a while. Judging by the satisfied expression they both wear as the warlord carries her towards the cabin, such an arrangement is perfect.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I love thunderstorms, okay?  
>  (Not sure if I'd run around in a field with a 2.1 meter tall metal lightning rod, but eeeh FICTION!)
> 
>  
> 
> That was spring. Next, summer! Told you we'd be moving a bit faster.


	49. A Mech's Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As summer starts, Y/n finds herself reconnecting with some parts of her abilities as well as having conversations with Megatron that are both heartfelt and somewhat confrontational.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, a new chapter was posted without you having to wait for several months! Ahaha...I'm still sorry about that. 
> 
> So! A long time ago I came across a wonderful series of Tumblr posts describing Cybertronian fauna and now I finally got to write a bit on it. The breed I mention in the chapter is from this Tumblr blog, go give them some love because both their designs and their attenton to detail when describing the creatures are just...mmm <3 <3 So I just had to include it.  
> http://wily-red-and-galeforce-gold.tumblr.com/tagged/cybertronian-fauna
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And oh, is that the clicking sound of heelstruts that we're hearing...?

 

 

The morning sky is a clear azure color and the wind is getting warmer the closer Y/n’s is to the ground. The lush forests of north-western Canada are quickly getting closer and closer as she walls from the sky, her body had long since reached terminal velocity. The air resistance almost feels like an overly enthusiastic friend’s embrace by now and the young woman relishes in it for just a few more moments. She looks over the data that her visor displays, purple alien hieroglyphs informing her of everything she needs to know about her activated but currently unused wings:

 

_External layer: 100%_

_Joint gears (Right): 100%_

_Joint gears (Left): 100%_

_Hover generators: 100%_

_Holomatter generators: 100%_

_Overall structural integrity: 100%_

 

Everything is in perfect working condition, as it was both three and six minutes ago. While she has become more daring since being able to fly outside, checking if everything is properly working keeps her confident. Especially when she's falling from the sky. Her wings spread wide behind her back and her descent immediately slows to a much less intimidating speed as she now glides forward, above the green summer forest, looking over rivers and lakes, spotting wildlife thanks to her improved eyesight and being able to zoom on it thanks to her visor. There are no humans in the area, at least not in a hundred kilometres in every direction – that was the first thing she made the helmet scan for once the ground became decently visible. She checks again for peace of mind, looking around and confirming that her HUD points out zero humans around. No Autobots too, for that matter. Satisfied, Y/n dismisses all the info on her visor and takes off her helmet, allowing herself to enjoy the wind in her face and the sights witnessed by the naked eye. Everything is lush and green and so alive – it’s the **4th of June,** the beginning of summer, after all. The young woman spots some bears by the river as the animals hunt for fish and while going up to bears on a hunt is a bad idea for any human, she’s not explicitly human, is she? She descends lower, circling around the place where the beasts are and flies along the river where she can get to the ground without the tree branches getting in the way. The pebbles that the river’s shore is made of make a slight crunching, rustling sound as her feet lower onto them slowly. Y/n lands about twenty meters away from the bears – less than two Megatrons or about three Knockouts away.

 

Funny, how she can now measure distances in alien robot heights.

 

She quietly walks up to a boulder near the water and some of the bears look in her direction because of the sound the gravel makes, but their brains don't recognize the signals that their sharp sense of smell or their keen eyesight send them about Y/n being there, so they return to their fishing soon. The cybertronian human proxy jumps onto the boulder and sits down, watching the massive creatures impale fish onto their impressive claws or catch them with their maws. She used to do this often when she was in her self-imposed exile. It was strange at first, then scary – she wasn’t quite sure how far she could push the new abilities that fell onto her lap, but she got used to it eventually. It was easy to forget some of the ‘upgrades’ she had while living on a ship full of giant mechanical marvels. Some of her abilities were treated casually and the crew usually didn’t even know that humans weren’t meant to be able to do the things she could, like jumping from heights of several meters safely or handling day-long flights in flying gear. Or matching Megatron’s passion and stamina in bed. Hah. In any case, some of her upgrades were used by Y/n so consistently that by now she almost forgot how she ever lived without them, and some were so rarely used that she sometimes forgot why Autobot scientists had developed her ‘breed’ in the first place.

 

Shepherding the organics, right.

 

The Decepticons didn’t have much information on how the experiments were conducted, most of what they knew was acquired from enemy interrogation and Megatron wasn’t exactly interested in small pet projects at that time, weapon and Energon hiding spots were a priority after all. All she knew was this:

A long time ago, when the war between Autobots and Decepticons was just about to lead to their home world's poisoning, cybertronians from both sides were hiding Energon on other planets - one of them being Earth. While Cybertronians hadn’t just visited Earth once, instead also having been on the planet about three million years ago, the last time they used Earth as a place they could seed with Energon was about eight thousand years ago. Humans already existed, but were obviously more primitive back then. Of course, when they saw the giant beings made of metal, they started worshipping them as gods.

Some cybertronians - guess from which side – decided to have humans as a subservient race. In the process, somebot apparently came up with the idea of making 'proxies'. Individuals who would serve as shepherds to their brethren and intermediaries between Autobots and humans, as the poor creatures were, of course, in need of guards to keep them in line and worshipping the ‘benevolent and wise’ gods that came to use the planet as a crystal growing kit and a battlefield which wasn’t their own planet.

But humans are fragile and weak, they get injured and sick too easily, so proxies had to be changed quite often. Which was annoying. Somehow, a solution was found. While for the majority of humans Energon was toxic - even lethal - for an incredibly small percentage it wasn't for some reason. Building on that, the Autobots messed with those humans' genes and tried to somehow introduce an incredibly small, minuscule dose of Energon into their systems. After who knows how many failings and deaths, the little experiment was successful and the chosen humans became stronger, more agile and could heal quicker. Some even developed additional abilities that varied from human to human. Over the years, the cybertronians noticed that those humans also didn't age as quickly as the others. And when the mission of storing away Energon was completed, so was the little lab project. The Autobots left, leaving their little pastime project behind to figure things out by themselves. Of course, after the ‘gods’ had abandoned it, whatever civilization had been developed quickly lost direction and the humans scattered to start over from scratch.

That was all Y/n could gather from the info Megatron had given her when she had only begun living on the Nemesis, and even though the Decepticon lord told her it was unfortunate that their databases didn’t have anything else, Y/n was endlessly grateful to him for offering her insight into what she was and why she was like that. The time she had spent in isolation before she met Megatron was filled with endless questions - they kept her awake, kept her frustrated, afraid, stressed out and eventually apathetic, accepting that she was ‘something’ different even if she didn’t know what. So Megatron’s gracious willingness to give her the information was invaluable, it at least gave her a sense of some things she could expect from her body and enlightened her to the cause of her abilities. And whatever things she still didn't know about herself...she _really_ should finally ask Knockout to do some testing on her.

The young woman sighs, her attention returning to the sounds of the flowing river, the rustling leaves and the bears hitting the water with their paws. It has been a while since she’s done this. Before, she had developed a kind of amiable relationship with the wolves that lived near her cabin. At first, she had used her ability to make them not notice her. Then, to scare them off. Later, almost right before the incident where she came across Megatron’s mining operation, she dialled down the effect of the ability to the point where the carnivorous pack could sense that she was the dominant being, something that would easily strike them down if attacked, but didn’t bear any aggression if unprovoked. She still remembered watching the pack as they would sometimes pass though the garden or come up to the porch, throw a glance at her as if acknowledging that she’s there and then continue on their way. The girl didn’t want to think of what became of the pack when the Decepticons arranged for the whole area to blow up, but somewhere deep inside she wanted to believe that – since she hadn’t seen the wolves after the night she first met Megatron – maybe they were alive somewhere in a different part of those woodlands. Hopefully.

The bears were done with their fishing, some had already left. Two are still walking around. Y/n takes a deep breath and switches between the feeling she wants to project outward. If before she wanted to remain unseen, now she allows the animals to realise she’s there, feel that she’s a benign presence but also the superior being around. As the bears that are left realise that there is someone else nearby and turn their heads, looking at the girl, Y/n takes a deep breath and commands herself to calm down. One of the bears cautiously approaches her, his eyes studying her as his nostrils flare, taking in her scent. The beast stops about six meters away and just looks at her. It then raises a paw to make another step forward, but the paw hovers in the air for a bit before the bear takes a step back instead. Damp brown fur glistens in the sun as the animal starts walking away, deciding that it’s not curious enough to try and find out more about her today. The girl sighs in relief. She really hasn’t done this for a while.

With a reacquired sense of confidence, she relaxes her shoulders and jumps off from the boulder, landing onto the pebble-filled ground and walking up to the river. The water is clear and she can see the occasional fish swim down the stream quickly. The young woman activates her wings and flies over the water, playfully touching the mid-point of the river with her foot. She lands on the shore and, taking another look back at the bears, walks off into the forest. The birds continue singing as she hides her presence, the deer continue to run by, oblivious that a human just stepped out of their path and admired their grace of movement. Y/n wonders if, in the times when proxies were created, all of them were like her – able to either hide themselves or to instil a varying degree of fear in others with just some concentration. The file said that ‘ _additional abilities varied from human to human_ ’, but to what degree? Logically, all of them had to be able to somehow dominate the other organics, so her abilities would be perfect. But could someone do it differently? Make people and animals recognize them not just as a benign presence but a friend? Or make organics adore them? Or follow their commands?...Y/n sighs as she gets down on her haunches and unhurriedly inspects a spider web that hangs between the smaller branches of an old fallen pine branch. The needles are all gone, but the branch is embedded in the soil below so it still stands. The drops of morning dew still hang on the silky web, sparkling in the sunlight like tiny diamonds. Y/n looks through it, her vision focusing on the green grass and pink moss beyond, on the sunlight that passes through the trees as the sun rises higher and higher. There is a clearing beyond those trees, she thinks, she could comfortably take off from there. The young woman stands up and looks around, enjoying the quiet sounds of the life that goes on forest. These sounds used to soothe her anxiety almost exactly a year ago as she took long walks, wondering what she should do after the fateful day of June 11th when she was dropped into an alien shipwreck…And on August the 21st she met Megatron. At 03:24 AM on the 11th of September, people tried to capture her. Starscream tore the roof off her house at approximately 22:30 on September the 15th. And the 26th of November was when Megatron had embraced her and kissed her for the first time.

Y/n doesn’t want to think about December the 10th, shaking her head as she walks out into a clearing. Memories of being crushed what felt like nearly to death are the worst ones, even worse than falling off a cliff or getting shot. Optimus Prime could be proud of himself that he holds first place in her leader board of worst experiences, but the tyrant probably prides himself on killing her anyway. Or maybe not. With the amount of creatures he had killed, Y/n was probably remembered for as long as it took to wash the mech’s servo. Exhaling sharply in frustration, having realised that she ended up thinking about December 10th anyway, the girl activates and spreads her wings wide. She takes off quickly as if trying to leave the memories back there, on the ground. Once she’s above the trees, the fresh air and the beautiful sights help her clear her mind, and a barely-visible smile appears on her lips as she revels in the freedom and the ability to fly that the Decepticons had given her before flying off to look around some more.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 _“Do not,”_ Megatron says as he glares in warning.

“Too late,” Y/n dismisses him before giving her dog a loving smile and kissing its wet nose. Megatron’s cheek twitches and his dark red eyes narrow in disgust.

It is the **25 th of June**. Y/n had sent her parents on a recreational trip and – while they are away – had gladly moved into the house she grew up in. After four days of trying to make it seem that her prolonged absence doesn’t bother Megatron _too_ much, he finally decided to come down from the Nemesis and ask Y/n in person why she wasn’t visiting the ship. ‘Well you told me that you would be fine without me and had work to do anyway, so I decided not to bother you’ was the reply, and it was infuriating how it left _him_ the stupid one in the situation. Y/n knew well what she was doing, the femme wanted to teach him to word his sentences less proudly no doubt. Well jokes on her, next time he will not come over and not subjugate himself to watching her bury her hands in smelly fur and touch slimy organic olfactory sensors with her lips. Disgusting. No, he definitely will not come next time…Scrap, who was he even kidding?

 

“Who’s a good girl, yes you are~”

By Unicron, she was just doing this on purpose now.

 

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, the man came up closer to the doorway where Y/n was currently petting the beast. The dog, noticing him, started trying to get past Y/n excitedly, its tail wagging so fast that Megatron wondered if it was possible for it to dislocate because of it.

“Oh look, it’s Megatron, the big stern-looking guy you like,” the girl chuckles as the dog’s tongue hangs out of its maw, glistening from all the saliva that covers it.

“Are you deriving pleasure from making me watch you get covered in slobber?” he asks with a hint of annoyance to his voice, just enough for Y/n to catch onto it. Contrary to the effect he was going for, she starts petting the dog even more enthusiastically, the animal seemingly going insane from glee.

“Oh he loves you, he’s just shy,” Y/n smirks, her hands petting the canine’s head everywhere she could reach, fingers disappearing in the fur as she gave the hound affectionate scratches.

“I do _not_ harbour any fondness for your dog,” the man informs and he can feel Y/n rolling her eyes as she chuckles. The girl is getting quite used to being impudent with him and while he greatly prefers being able to see this side of her and is glad that she doesn’t fear him, he still can’t help but grumble.

“This is ridiculous. I will be in the living room, come once you are done kissing with your pet,” he says, turning around and beginning to walk away. He hears the door to the garden close.

“Wait,” the girl asks of him and he looks over his shoulder, a smug smirk to appearing on his face.

“Hug?” Y/n proposes, stretching out both fur-covered hands and grinning.

Megatron rolls his eyes in exasperation and walks off into the living room to the sound of his lover’s amused chuckle.

 

…

 

 

“Oh come now, you mentioned you had a dog yourself,” Y/n says as she lights up a fire in the fireplace and watches the flame starting to grow as it eats away at paper and wood.

“It was a cybertronian canine – a being made of metal, oil and Energon just as I am,” the man is quick to distinguish as he sits in a chair near the fire, looking at the young woman who is sitting on the rug at his feet, “And it was a Tarnish Ridgeback.”

“Oh, I’ve read about those!” Y/n’s e/c eyes light up, “The really big ones that kind of look like six-legged bears. In fact, even the article I read said that different sources debated on whether they were even canines or more closely related to Krystar iron-bears.”

Megatron nods. He then proceeds to pat his lap, hinting that he’d like to have his lover there. The young woman, however, after a moment of contemplation slowly pats the rug next to her. He raises an eyebrow. She smiles and bats her eyelashes at him. The man gives her a long stare, then sighs. As his head is kept up by a pillow while he lies on the rug and Y/n lies on top of him, the warlord internally admits that this is actually quite nice, especially with the fireplace offering some additional warmth. His lover rests her chin on his sternum and looks up at him with a smile. One of his hands is on the small of her back and the other is between her shoulder blades, occasionally moving up and down slowly – a caress that makes Y/n smiles in satisfaction. He decides to tell her about the ‘dog’ that he once had.

 

The breed of Tarnish Ridgeback was the largest of the Cybertronian canines – while standing on all six of its massive legs it could easily touch with its olfactory sensor the spot on Megatronus’s chassis where the Decepticon insignia would eventually be proudly displayed. Their steel was grey in color and the ones used in the mines had yellow and black caution stripes painted onto their burly chassis and front legs – though, that wasn’t anything unusual, the miners themselves wore the same markings on their helms, arms and chassis. In any case, the ridgebacks were hardy and strong, so they were often used in mines as extra muscle and security against whatever creatures sometimes lurked under the planet’s surface. When machines or even mechs couldn’t drag carts out due to unsteady footing, Tarnish Ridgebacks were used. The cybercanines - if they even were canines - had very enduring neuro-circuitry that meant that their personalities naturally could endure massive amounts of stress, accepting whatever was required of them without glitching and going rabid from the conditions in the mines and the constant work. The higher ups, however, decided to further ‘improve’ on their nature by messing with the rigdebacks’ processors, making them incapable of showing aggression towards bots even when mistreated horribly. Megatron remarked how disgusting it was that such a strong, adaptable, already stable-minded breed was reprogrammed to be so docile so severely that they essentially could be considered lobotomised. In the warlord’s opinion, death was a more preferable option than a fate such as that.

Anyway, in the times when he was already beginning to take part in gladiatorial battles but was still a demolitions mech, Megatronus had started noticing that a particular unit had started picking its resting place near where the mech usually took a break. The Tarnish Ridgeback with the designation RAX-0R2412 - affectionately dubbed Raxor by the miners - was an older beast, but not so old that he could be considered useless by the mine supervisors. Raxor was an experienced mine dweller and Megatronus had heard many stories of him expertly navigating the tunnels even where specialized devices became useless because of hectic magnetic fields, radiation or a million other things that could happen in the Kaonian mines. Megatronus had worked with mine-canines before, but saw them as little more than machines since their processors were so heavily messed with. The bosses were cowardly and the mere thought that a creature like a Tarnish Ridgeback snapping its jaws at them was enough to send them into a fit of offended panic.

Raxor, however, did not do anything wrong. He just rested somewhere near Megatronus or would briefly press his olfactory sensor into the demolitions mech’s palm as a form of greeting when the latter returned from his new favourite pastime in the gladiatorial pits. When Megatronus and other miners would gather around a fire after a shift, Raxor would usually rest his massive frame next to the flame and then radiate heat long after the flame was put out. And when Megatronus was about to go into recharge in the dark tunnels of the mines, his back pressed against the cold wall, on more than one occasion the canine would deliberately rest near him. The miner would then pat the warm, scratch- and dent-covered metal of the ridgeback’s side, the two spending their cruelly short resting cycle like that before they had to return to work. Sometimes, the miner would give the beast some of his already miniscule low-grade Energon rations – not a smart move at all, but he was young and sentimental back then and the gratitude he saw in those optics that were the color of molten steel seemed like a fair exchange for the Energon given. Must have been some treat for the old cyberanimal, considering Tarnish Ridgebacks could eat Energon crystals raw, their powerful jaws easily crushing the glowing blue rocks. Raxor had met his end not long before Megatronus was accepted by the arena bosses as a full-time gladiator, very long before he had taken the name ‘Megatronus’ even.

One day, the demolitions mech returned from the arena to his mining sector and, after not encountering the cybercanine who would usually greet him, asked around. That was when he encountered _a miner friend_ of his, who quickly began dragging him to somewhere as he began briefing Megatronus on what had happened in his absence. As it turned out, one of the mine’s walls collapsed due to the supervisor’s impatience to get the job done more quickly, ignoring safety protocols. That happened often in the mines, and the casualties and injuries it brought was nothing new and nothing too tragic – not for the higher-ups, at least. Miners were an expendable commodity. What didn’t happen too often were several adolescent drillers coming out from behind the collapsed wall. Drillers were enormous multi-tentacled metal beasts with dozens of spinning rows of razor-sharp teeth. They lived in the depths of the planet and looked like a cross between the human legend of a Kraken and an enormous worm, and a grown driller could sometimes reach a fifth of the Nemesis’ size. The young ones were much smaller, but unfortunately had a tendency to sometimes come up to the mines in search of easy prey. The ones that appeared in sector D-16 were still the size of an average mech, but that was quite enough for the beasts to be able to chew miners’ limbs clean off. Megatronus had once seen Raxor take on one such driller – it was one of the few times the demolitions mech heard the usually quiet beast growl, making the walls around reverberate from the powerful sound. But this was several drillers…

According to those who were there, the ridgeback kept attacking the drillers even when three of his six legs got ripped off and he was missing part of his chassis. In the end, the old cybercanine managed to take out four of his enemies, the last two being shot down by the guard mechs who finally decided to respond to the alarm. When asked about how Raxor’s frame was disposed of, his friend told the demolitions mech that the cybercanine was currently being hidden from the higher ups in the mines as it was dying from its injuries. The injuries must have affected his reprogramming, because the dying beast was now aggressively snapping its jaws and growling at anyone who would dare come near, at least as much as it could in its near-death state. The miners decided to thank the old canine in the only way they could – to let it die peacefully without being shocked and blasted into submission by the supervisors in its final moments. It was at this point of the other miner’s explanation when they had reached a smaller, abandoned tunnel that led away from the main one and Megatronus saw the ridgeback. Raxor was in very bad condition – in fact, it was incredible he was still alive. Three of his legs and a big chunk of his chassis were indeed gone, a mess of Energon, oil and internal components covering the ground under and next to the cybercanine as it tried to vent in and out, the action clearly causing it incredible pain. Optics the color of molten steel slowly shifted their gaze to the newcomers and a growl that seemed to start stopped as soon as the ridgeback saw the demolitions mech. Instead, what Megatronus got was a quiet whine and a weak waggle of a short tail. Approaching the cybercanine, the mech knelt down and put his servo on Raxor’s helm, the latter turning it to give the servo a weak lick before letting the miner pet him further. Megatronus quietly told the ridgeback that he had fought admirably and did his job well and, as if holding off only to hear those very words, Raxor slowly closed his optics and took his last breath of the dust-filled mine air.

 

They’ve decided to discreetly melt the cybercanine’s frame right there in the mines and not to send it off along with the rest of the bodies that were meant to be sent off to be scrapped for parts and then disposed of. With that, Megatron concludes his story as he comes back from his memories, looking back at Y/n. The girl is quiet, her cheek is pressed to his chest so he doesn’t see her expression until she lifts her head, momentarily surprising him. She is not crying, but there is a glimmer to her eyes that tells him that she is close to it. He tries something to say and he is shamefully horrid at this - Y/n hadn’t shown signs of crying in front of him before, as much as he had noticed at least. While his spark is heavy with worry and his processor is borderline creaking trying to find some words, his lover leans up and touches his forehead with hers with a calmness that stays his own rising nervousness.

“It was a long time ago,” he tells her quietly as they both close their eyes and sigh, his arms holding the girl closer to him.

“I’m still sorry about Raxor, he was a wonderful friend,” she replies softly, placing her hand on his cheek and tracing his cheekbone with her thumb gently. It’s almost too much of an intimate moment - the mech that he had made himself become is pushing him to immediately change the subject and regain his pride and his emotional distance. The core parts of him, however, are reaching out to what is happening like a starved mech desperately reaches out to a cube of Energon. This is not a new feeling for the warlord – the contrasting feelings often surface in moments when he decides to be open with his human lover. Sometimes, he regains his distance. Right now, however, he wants this moment of emotional weakness linger for a while longer.

“It is nothing, Y/n, a brief moment in time that happened long ago and that I have not remembered for tens of thousands of human years,” the mech tells her and as he opens his eyes and looks at the young woman, he sees a faint smile on her lips.

“You have lived longer than my entire species and you yourself have told me that many events happened so long ago that you can’t remember them. But you _do_ remember Raxor’s name. You remembered how he looked like and the texture of his metal, the habits he had,” she says, her e/c eyes looking into his dark-red ones fondly. Ha can’t argue, she is right. He somehow did remember all of that, despite the years, despite not sharing this story since…Come to think of it, he is actually not sure if he had ever shared this story with a certain idealistic Hall of Records clerk. The man looks to the side, sighing as he chases the thought away and then looks back, putting a hand on Y/n’s head and stroking her hair.

“You seem to have that effect on me, yes,” he says in a half-accusatory tone that is clearly too calm and affectionate to be meant seriously. They look at each other for a moment and he can see the understanding, respect and fondness in his lover’s eyes – it is the best kind of reward for sharing a story such as this, a story that is _completely and utterly true._ Even if he usually does not favour remembering anything from his pre-professional gladiator days, in this case he is glad that he did. They lean towards each other instinctively and the man feels a small shiver go up his spine as he fully melts into the feeling of Y/n’s warm embrace and her soft lips on his own. He greedily holds her like that for a while, not that the girl seems to mind – she gives him all the affection he needs and then some more, cementing the knowledge that it is freely and happily offered.

As they finally pull apart, he hears the young woman chuckle ever so quietly. He opens his optics, looking at her questioningly before he realises why she is amused – he had defaulted back to his natural-looking avatar. Usually Megatron would be very hard on himself for such a slip in willpower...if this hadn't already happened before. After all, on the day that he had first held Y/n in his arms and kissed her, the same thing happened. Holomatter generators were sensitive to the state of one’s spark, one’s image of themselves. And while the mech had impressive willpower and could remain unaffected by anything else, it was only logical that during a moment where he was in a private environment and felt at his most sincere with Y/n, this could happen. Still, a surprising and rare moment of him slipping up. Y/n seems satisfied, though, judging by the fact that she’s kissing him again.

 

A bit later, Megatron is sitting next to her as Y/n is adjusting the glowing embers and adding a couple of logs into the fireplace. He watches her for a while before speaking:

“I know you noticed that I said Raxor went offline before I chose my current designation.”

The reflections of the flames that begin licking away at the newly-added logs reflect in her eyes as the young woman simply nods.

“You are not going to ask me, are you?” he asks thoughtfully even when he already knows the answer. The girl is respectful – even more so when it concerns his past. She doesn’t know, but it aids in his efforts to keep her oblivious or misinformed on many things, but – ironically - it is also what makes him want to tell her more about himself, more of the truth. At least of the truth that wouldn’t make her despise him. So he continues:

“I am not opposed to telling you – you already know part of that story by now, actually. Would you like to know more?”

“Only if you’re really fine with telling me,” Y/n replies as she leaves the fireplace be and looks up at him, her expression one of careful curiosity. Megatron nods.

 

“You know by now that those in my caste were not given names and were not offered to choose one. So the first designation I chose for myself when I realised that I wanted one was the designation of my mining sector, D-16. It was not a name that I held any feelings towards, but it was one that represented where I was from and a name others would be willing to call me,” the mech tells her, watching his lover closely. There are no tears and no attempts to coddle him - she simply nods in understanding, prompting him to continue, “You also already know that once I became a famous gladiator, the arena bosses tried to order me to lose several fights and that I killed them.”

Y/n nods. This is not new information to her - he had been telling her quite a few stories of his gladiator days, including how he took over Kaon and Slaughter City, taking out the bosses in both low-caste industrial city-states when the right time came.

“It was during that time, when the lifeless frame of one of the arena bosses was lying at my pedes, when I declared to his former employees that they may call me Megatronus from that moment forward. To be honest with you, Y/n, I had always found both respite and inspiration in the tales about the Thirteen that circulated the mines. But if I chose to take one of the Thirteen’s designations for myself before, I would not be taken seriously – as idealistic as I was, I understood that much. But after that day, I could finally take on a designation that meant something. You already know why I chose mine - ‘Megatronus’ signified my hope that Cybertron's society, _fallen_ as it was then, could be restored. That one defiant individual could start something that would eventually bring down the whole corrupt system. In the end, as you also know, during a fight where I won against several Insecticons, the spectators that were chanting my name shortened it to something that I could consider my very own.”

He finishes and looks at the young woman to examine her reaction. She is thoughtful, her sad expression reflecting only partly the sadness she holds deep in her eyes – he often sees her like that when he talks about how brutal and unjust life was for those of his caste. He knows he has earned himself a lot of admiration from her for creating and leading the revolution, too.

“Thank you for telling me,” the girl tells him, nodding and looking into his optics gratefully. Her voice is calm, but he can somehow feel that his story – even if she already knew parts of it – affected her deeply. It is strange, his story is far from a secret – in fact, it is what he had used to recruit more and more troops – but every time he tells parts of it to Y/n it feels like he is sharing something no one else knows. Maybe it is because his story and even the times he used it to gather armies was so very long ago or maybe it is because he shares small, private details with her. Details that do not matter when inspiring mechs and femmes to rise up, but that have stayed in his memory even when other memories and entire vorns were claimed by time. He feels older than he actually is when he remembers these things, and his processor is insistent to make him remember other things from his past that he would rather not remember at all or not remember in Y/n’s presence. Luckily, he is unmatched when it comes to willpower, so he brings his thoughts in order and instead extends his servo, opening it slowly digit by digit as he invites his lover to come to him. She does, placing her small, delicate hand into his servo and sitting down on his lap, leaning into his chassis as he holds her close. With each pulse his spark makes it spreads warmth through his frame – it is a very addicting kind of feeling, being accepted and cherished by Y/n after telling her something that is so intimate and true. He does not feel weaker or at a disadvantage because he told her, what he _does_ feel is that he had shared something with her that not only lets the girl understand him better, but also makes her want to stay with him more.

 

His end goal has not changed after all, he thinks as they watch the flames. By the time he leaves Earth, he wants Y/n to leave with him. They stay quiet for a while – he plays with strands of her hair thoughtfully while she slowly runs her fingertips over his digits. In the fireplace, fire crackles and orange sparks sometimes burst from the burning wood. He notices out of the corner of his optic that his lover sometimes glances down to watch the light reflect off the metal of his servo – it is a quiet moment of adoration he is not meant to notice, but he does and it touches his very spark. The mech intertwines his digits with her fingers wordlessly before deciding to enjoy the quiet moment for a little longer. This moment that is so peaceful – not boring, not uneventful, not self-enforced rest time. Peaceful. Megatron can’t quite remember when was the last time he felt peaceful before meeting Y/n. In the end, it didn’t matter – he felt like this now and he was set on being able to experience it many times in the future.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

On the afternoon of **July the 7th** , Y/n was on her way from Soundwave’s workstation, the two having spent the mech’s break time discussing a little idea she had for a certain day next month. Well, Y/n was the one who was mostly talking, but the communications officer offered quite a few valuable insights both via messages on his mask and through sending music and historical files to her phone. Satisfied with the results of going to Soundwave for advice, the young woman flew in the direction of the medbay since Knockout and Breakdown wanted to share their own opinions on her idea as well. An idea that first was just a quiet suggestion but somehow got everyone that heard about it excited. It was as she flew through the giant-sized halls when she heard pede-steps – heavy, familiar ones and clicking, very memorable ones. Y/n stopped, hovering in the air. Her hearing was good and the halls carried the sound well - she wouldn’t come into view of the mechs right this second, so she had just a bit of time to decide what she wanted to do next. She could quickly turn back and take a turn, waiting out until the warlord and his second-in-command passed or she could just deal with having to see Starscream today.

It wasn’t like she didn’t encounter Starscream occasionally – she did, and whenever she did the seeker would glare and scowl and try and insult her as ‘smartly’ as he could…whenever none of the officers or Megatron were present, of course. Whenever Megatron or any officers _were_ present, Starscream would just either ignore the fact that Y/n was even there or nonchalantly greet her like he didn’t consider her to be sentient trash. The last four times they met accidentally, however, Starscream acted like that too, even considering Y/n was either alone or in the company of Steve. The young woman wasn’t remotely ready to believe that the silver mech had a change of spark. Her thoughts were split between the seeker either losing interest in her as did many of those who initially hated her being on the ship or that he was planning something and was acting this way to divert suspicion. Currently, the probability in her mind was 30% and 70% respectively. It was not like she feared the seeker – she was cautious of him, yes, and she certainly didn’t trust him, but it didn’t make her scared to run into him. Especially if Megatron was there.

Either way, judging by the voices she could hear, Megatron and Starscream were talking normally – as in, it didn’t involve screaming or threatening notes. So she decided to be an adult and get this over with, passing them as quickly as possible. She began flying forward once more, taking a deep breath before she saw both mechs appear from behind a corner. The Decepticon leader was walking with his servos behind his back, his helm turned forward as he wasn’t looking at his much smaller SIC that was enthusiastically telling him something. That was why Megatron was the first one to notice her. His reaction was that of little surprise, he simply raised his optic ridges slightly and that made Starscream stop talking as look ahead as well, immediately noticing the flying human.

 

“Y/n,” the steel-colored mech said calmly, his crimson optics following her as she descended from near-ceiling height and to about where his Decepticon insignia was. Keeping appearances was important and it wouldn’t do for Y/n to just casually fly over the warlord’s head while she blew him a kiss.

“Lord Megatron, good afternoon,” she greeted him with a slight yet proper bow before her gaze travelled to the mech at her lover’s side, “Starscream.”

“Y/n,” the seeker responded, his big red optics narrowing only slightly as he looked over her. The SIC’s expression looked thoughtful, and as he turned to Megatron, he voiced an idea that Y/n wasn’t expect to hear from him anytime soon.

“Lord Megatron, it is actually very fortunate that we encountered your, er, _guest_. You see, I was thinking. My liege, it’s obvious that me and Y/n, we didn’t start out too great. But perhaps, if you reconsidered your order for me not to have any contact with her, I could-“

“No.”

Both Y/n and Starscream looked at Megatron in surprise as he looked at them from his towering height, his expression clearly showing that his decision was not up for debate.

“But, my lord, _clearly_ all other officers have had time to-“

_“Starscream.”_

Now the warlord’s optics were focused solely on the seeker, his voice getting a dangerous note to it that warned against further objections. The second-in-command’s shoulder armor raised as did his wings, the mech clearly tensing under the heavy stare of his master. Starscream then lowered his optics, a momentary displeased flinch of the corner of his mouth not escaping Y/n.

“As you command, Lord Megatron.”

The larger mech’s attention returned to her after that and he gave the girl a nod, before speaking:

“You may proceed on you way.”

“Thank you,” she nodded as well, both to the Decepticon lord and the commander, the latter of which was clearly currently studying her face for signs of smugness. There were none. Right now, she was thoughtful more than anything else. The time to discuss this event with Megatron would come later, for now she just wanted to get out of the mechs’ way. She bade farewell to both of them before flying off, and as she did she heard Starscream ask if he may proceed with his report. Apparently, he smartly decided not to push the subject. Y/n wouldn’t too, were she in his place.

 

She reached the medbay without any further incidents and her time with the mechs there was pleasant and fun as they discussed the possible ways they could make her idea work. It wouldn’t be anything grand, but with a few holomatter generators and some other things they could make it interesting. She eventually mentioned her running into Megatron and Starscream, and while both mechs were adamant that Starscream would be the last person to let go of grudges or suddenly develop warm fuzzy feelings for organics, they did acknowledge that the seeker could force himself to go against his own wishes if it meant getting on Megatron’s good side. Until he managed to frag it up for the thousandth time again. This conversation further convinced Y/n that she had to talk about it with the warlord.

Starscream was…well…it was probably the biggest mystery to the girl as to why Megatron would keep someone like that as his second-in-command. No, she knew the stories of Starscream being an exceptional flyer and commander, that he provided so much assistance and won so many battles during the war on Cybertron that it was what got him respected even now. But she also knew that he was a sadist, an egomaniac and someone who was looking for every opportunity to take over. And Megatron knew it. And he still kept Starscream as his SIC. And Megatron wasn’t – at all – an idiot. So what was Y/n missing? The young woman had theories from what she heard of the silver mech and from what she’d seen of him, but it was incredibly little to make an informed decision from. If things were simpler, she would have already tried to talk with the mech by now, if only to see why Megatron was willing to accept that his officer was constantly plotting against him. Maybe because she hasn’t been stuck with Starscream for hundreds of thousands of years that she couldn’t just treat it as casually as Megatron did. _But it bothered her to no end._

 

So, when evening came and she found herself in Megatron’s habsuite, in her chair atop the warlord’s desk, she tried to carefully raise the subject. Megatron was quick to catch on.

“No,” he said as he sipped some more highgrade Energon out of a cube, his optics unwavering.

“Listen, I’m not asking you to set me up on a dinner date with the mech,” Y/n sighed, a glass of her self-made cocktail in her hand, “I’m just saying that he is the only one of your officers that I am at odds with currently. I just want it to be civil.”

“Today was civil enough,” the mech countered and while his expression couldn’t be called an angry one, he also clearly wasn’t pleased with the direction the conversation was taking.

“Megatron, you are perfectly aware what I mean,” she said with a slight incline of her head.

“And _you_ should be less willing to spend time with a mech who would have left you maimed if not for your regenerative abilities.”

Crimson optics narrowed as he berated her, but it didn’t do much to distract her from her line of thought. And there was truth to Megatron’s words, after all.

“I know what he did to me, I haven’t forgotten,” she assures calmly, keeping her eyes on his optics, “But things will never change if you don’t give them a chance to. I highly doubt Starscream wants to be best friends with me, but I also doubt that the second you give him the go-ahead to talk to me he will run his claws through me. I don’t think he’s willing to accept the punishment for that.”

 

She saw the warlord’s servo tighten around the cube with blue glowing liquid in it and she could feel the air in the room become heavier as the warlord’s expression became darker.

 

“Y/n, I forbid you to get into contact with Starscream. Am I understood?”

“You are understood,” she narrowed her eyes slightly, not liking the tone he had taken with her, “But I disagree with you.”

Megatron’s expression hadn’t changed, but she could feel that his mood had worsened at those words. Still, she continued, keeping her voice steady and her expression serious yet devoid of signs that she wanted things to escalate:

“I didn’t ask for you to revoke your rule about Starscream not being allowed to go to my room or approach me on purpose. I wouldn’t be comfortable with that either w-“

“Well then _why in the pits_ would want to meet with him, then?” the former gladiator intervened, his voice thick with disapproval and annoyance. Y/n stayed silent for a moment after that, looking at him with her own icy look of disapproval, wordlessly asking him if he was done or if he would like to talk over her some more. The mech seemed displeased at the wordless chiding, but visibly tried to restrain himself as he stayed silent. The young woman then slowly continued:

“I wouldn’t be comfortable if I knew you allowed Starscream to act however he wanted. I know you gave that order to protect me, and I remember that you gave me your word that you would keep Starscream from hurting me.”

“I will keep _anyone_ from hurting you,” the mech intervened again, but this time it was something he did out of passion. Despite his deep voice being seemingly steady, there was a dark, heavy, scorching promise behind it to bring death and destruction to anything and anyone who would dare and try to harm her. Both he and Y/n knew that the outburst was involuntary, and this time Megatron sighed and looked away, waiting for her to continue. He didn’t flat-out apologize for interrupting her, but averting his gaze was a wordless way of showing that the usually unyielding mech was taking a metaphorical step back, so it was enough for the girl.

“I know,” the young woman told him, understanding, tender notes finding their way into her calm voice as she stood up from her chair and started walking towards the edge of the desk, “And I can’t find words that are enough to tell you how grateful I am to you for that. You are trying to keep your human safe, but she stubbornly tries to get herself into trouble – it can’t be easy.”

She walked up to the edge of the desk, looking up into the Decepticon leader’s face with a small, peaceable smile. His metal lips were tightly pressed together, but her change of tone after his passionate declaration seemed to reach his spark, his optics no longer glowing with anger. The mech looked back at her, a steady crimson gaze meeting a warm e/c one.

“I would say I do have it easy, usually my human is very reasonable,” he told her, offering the girl his free servo, “But her desire to be ‘civil’ with my second-in-command is what I find strange.”

“You just said it yourself, he’s your second-in-command,” Y/n said as she stepped into the large servo and sat down, patting the metal briefly out of habit, “You may have told me all I need to know not to trust him, but he still is the one you leave in charge while you’re away. So I feel that we need to have a conversation of _some_ sort. Especially since he’s trying to seem like he’s interested in it.”

“You’ve already had a conversation. I seem to remember you being given the offer to spy on me,” Megatron reminded her as he raised the servo that she was in a bit higher and took another sip from his cube. He had calmed down, but still clearly did not approve of the idea at all. It did seem that he was beginning to see Y/n’s point, though.

“Yeeeh, that was a really stupid idea on Starscream’s part,” the young woman gave a quiet chuckle as she remembered both the seekers proposal and in how much trouble it got him into in the end. Really, she was just willing to see if she could reach some sort of agreement with the silver seeker where they both could just casually pass each other in the hall without it being stressful each damn time. She just needed that. Megatron was the one who truly held Starscream in line, the threat of a brutal punishment being what kept Starscream off her back for all this time. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that a few conversations would make Starscream view her existence as less disgusting nor was she aiming to be as open with him as she could be with the others. She just wanted an opportunity to see if maybe she and the SIC could find a way to live on the same ship with their interactions bringing as little discomfort as possible. She was also interested in what made the formally-legendary and currently neurotic seeker tick, but Megatron didn’t need to hear that right now.

“But still,” she continued with a sigh, “I don’t want to be friends with him, I just…As long as I stay on board your ship, I want to at least try and make it so that whenever I and Starscream run into each other it isn’t stressful for both me and you.”

 

Megatron's optics narrowed slighlty. Oh, there it was. She got him hooked.

 

Y/n had already figured out that Megatron was intending to ask her to leave with him whenever the Nemesis would eventually have to depart from Earth. Thankfully, he didn’t yet – it was a horribly tough decision and currently the young woman wasn’t sure that ‘I’m madly in love with an alien’ was reason enough to leave everything she knew behind. Especially this relatively early into a relationship. But she also did consider the possibility of her leaving should her bond with both Megatron and her friends aboard stay strong and grow even more. Megatron clearly knew she was weighting the pros and cons and on many occasions he tried to make her stay on the warship as comfortable or even luxurious as possible. Which was flattering to say the least. And also gave Y/n the opportunity to use this card of ‘getting more comfortable on the Nemesis’ whenever she carefully and strategically decided to do so. Sometimes, Megatron caught on. Sometimes, he didn’t. The girl didn’t know how many times he pretended that he didn’t, but as long as she got her way it was enough for her. The potential of tipping the scales in his favour was what enticed Megatron and the potential to find out more about the inner workings of the Nemesis and its crew was what interested Y/n.

 

“So you desire an opportunity to converse with Starscream?” the steel-colored mech asked, his helm tilting slightly to the right as he looked her over thoughtfully.

“From what I’ve heard, _he_ desires an opportunity to converse with _me._ I’m willing to listen,” the young woman replied, hoping that the fact that this wasn’t some sort of naïve initiative to make friends would make the warlord more inclined to let the meeting happen.

“You are aware that neither friendly tone of voice nor flattery from him should be trusted,” Megatron stated instead of asking and she nodded.

" _Nothing_ he says can be fully trusted."

"I know."

“You will not be left completely alone in the quarters you decide to talk in,” he warned her and the girl nodded again, realising that not only was it an agreeable compromise, but it also made her feel safer.

“… _Fine,_ ” the mech finally said as he wore an utterly unenthusiastic expression on his faceplate, “I still find it unnecessary, but if _you_ want it, Y/n, then I will allow it.”

“Thank you,” she smiled at the mech, knowing that he probably had to wrestle both his ego and his concern for her to agree to this. She got a grumbling reply from her lover that made her chuckle, and tried to get him back into a good mood as quickly as possible. The rest of the evening was spent in more pleasant conversation before they eventually went to berth, Y/n falling asleep on the Decepticon lord’s chassis as he covered her with his large sharp-digited servo.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is the thing that Y/n is planning for August? How will the meeting with Starscream go? Why will Knockout look at both Y/n and Breakdown like they're silly idiots? Why will Y/n threaten another human being?
> 
> Find out next time on Under Your Armor - the story that I'm trying to update as frequently as real life lets me :D  
> And, as always, thank you for reading/commenting/leaving kudos!


	50. Friendly Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n has a conversation with Starscream and the ripples from it don't affect her alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I celebrated my Birthday on the 19th and let me just say, you guys have given me the best present ever. 6100+ hits? 390 kudos? I just...Mmm :'D Thank you! We've hit 50 chapters and 250000 words now, THANK YOU to everyone who is still reading this Megatron-sized story <3 
> 
> That aside, hope you enjoy spending time with Starscream - there's a faceplate we haven't seen in a while, huh?

 

 

“I’m just saying, they’re weird,” 079 says as he watches Y/n casually balance on one leg on Steve’s shoulder armor, her other leg raised and held high up, her foot next to the girl’s head, “In fact, your whole bodies are weird. So prone to bending and stretching and whatever.”

‘Well your lord sure seems to like that. Especially in bed,’ she thinks to herself smugly before lowering her leg about half-way down and twirling, neatly putting her foot down upon exiting the spin. Doing some morning stretching on a sitting Vehicon’s frame – more likely than you think.

“Why thank you, Sevny, it’s very valuable to know your opinion on my toes and the rest of my body,” the young woman says with joking politeness as she turns her back to the mech.

“I mean they’re kinda weird, you have to admit,” Steve chimes in, his helm half-turned as he watches Y/n.

“I’m not exactly an unbiased judge of that, having had them for my entire life,” Y/n shrugs as she raises both her arms and stretches, standing up on her tip toes.

“So you ignoring me now or do you want to maybe look at me?” 079 – or Sevny as Y/n’s band of Vehicons were now allowed to call him – smirks as he watched her.

“Ah? Sure,” the girl easily agrees. She then bends all the way backwards and places her hands onto the metal shoulder.

 

Steve screams like a little girl.

079 curses so obscenely that Y/n can’t help but grin while still in the same position.

 

“I thought you fraggin’ broke! _Fraggin’ stop that!_ What the slag even,” Steve exclaims, his voice still panicky as he’s trying his hardest not to move around too much and accidentally throw her off his shoulder. The young woman allows herself to smugly chuckle before easily shifting her weight, pushing off with her hands and sending herself flying off the mech’s frame. She lands safely - getting on her haunches and touching the floor with her hands as she does - and, while joyfully celebrating a perfect landing in her head, calmly stands up and casually dusts off her shoulder as she looks at her two visitors.

“What?” she asks innocently, though her smile is evidence enough that she’s enjoying all of this a lot.

“Ye’r fraggin’ weird, that’s what,” 079 states, though not without amusement, “Can all fleshies do that?”

“No, not all _fleshies_ can do that,” the young woman replies as she begins walking to the cabin where she has a pot of tea waiting for her on the porch, “Some can, though. Look it up, some people do crazy stuff with their bodies.”

“Eh, pass,” Sevny says in a tone that makes Y/n think that he’s scowling under his mask.

“Gross. Totally gonna do that with the guys later,” Steve informs, making her chuckle and the mine guard sigh, “But you’re, like, some special human – that means you can do all of it, right?”

The young woman shrugs.

“I mean, what I do for my morning routine – when I’m not too lazy, that is, - usually requires months of training and a lot of strength and endurance. Not really a problem for me, though. Then again, while impressive for a human, doesn’t amount to much against you guys when all you’d need to do to end it all for me is-“

She claps once, then brushes her hands against each other, smirking. The two mechs in the room laugh a bit as well, the dark humour not lost on them. She then continues:

“And _no,_ Steve, I’m not going to replicate the ridiculous stunts you’ll see on YouTube.”

“You’re no fun,” the mech crosses his arms and Y/n smiles as she sits down on a step and pours herself a cup of still warm tea.

“I know, I’m the most boring person in the universe.”

“Yep. You know it and you aren’t even trying to change that.”

“It’s easier to live that way.”

“Speaking trying to make your life easier, you’re meeting Starscream today, right?”

 

Both Y/n and Steve look over at 079. The mech is the oldest one among her Vehicon friends so he was often the one to start talking about serious matters. Much like right now.

“Yep, that I am,” the girl confirms, nodding. She had told the Vehicons of her plans to talk with Starscream a few days ago. Today was _July the 10 th,_ the day when she was to meet Megatron’s second-in-command. She was intrigued how that would go.

“Well that’ll be fun,” Steve comments not at all enthusiastically.

“Yeah, you be careful, kid,” the other mech warns.

“Planning to be,” Y/n nods, both in understanding and in gratitude. It’s nice to know that 079, the same 079 who started out pointing a blaster at her, was now telling her to watch herself.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Well, this is awkward,” Starscream says as he looks at Y/n and then to the side.

“Somewhat,” the young woman agrees, also looking to the side.

Soundwave doesn’t look at anyone seemingly, he just sits as the third one at the table at which the human and the seeker were planning to meet. His frame is unmoving like he is a piece of furniture, but he is obviously _not_ a piece of furniture and trying to talk while he is literally sitting between them is not what Y/n expected when Megatron said they’d be supervised.

“Soundwave, I’m not going to do anything to the hu- to dear Y/n here,” the SIC tries to reason, lowering his voice so that it is amiable – overly so, in Y/n’s opinion. She has to agree with the seeker on this one, though, at least partially. Though she already apologized for causing Soundwave the trouble of babysitting them before the seeker arrived, she didn’t expect the dark-framed mech to be quite so close to the conversation. The girl slightly adjusts her wings – there was no way she was going to deactivate those during this conversation – and speaks as well:

“Maybe, if you’re okay with it, we could try and figure things out on our own – at the table, I mean? We’ll still be right here, you’ll get to hear us and see us, but don’t you also want to get work done?” she tries, inclining her head slightly to Soundwave’s workstation. They are in his usual workspace, after all.

The communications officer slowly turns his helm to ‘face’ first Starscream, then her.

“…You could leave Laserbeak?” the silver seeker offers, not quite enthusiastically but Y/n guessed it was better for him than having Soundwave constantly being right there as they talked. Laserbeak sounds good, so Y/n nods showing that she likes the idea.

 

Agreeing with Starscream. What a day. But there is a difference between keeping them under supervision and _this._

 

The spymaster sits still for a while, after that he slowly stands up, gives the SIC a long stare that makes the latter frown and then ejects Laserbeak. Y/n watches as the deployer is detached from Soundwave’s chassis armor – a truly fascinating process. It’s somehow very satisfying watching and hearing the cybertronians transform or do things like this. The girl supposes that the reason behind it are all the perfectly moving parts of the metal bodies, it’s just so satisfying on a subconscious level. In any case, Laserbeak lands on the table before looking at both Y/n and Starscream. He pauses for a moment before flying behind the girl and landing on the chair which would have been occupied by her, were she Cybertronian. As it is, Y/n is sitting on a pouffe suitable for her size - it usually stands on Soundwave’s desk next to her chair, but was moved onto the table for this occasion. The young woman can’t comfortably sit in a chair due to her wings still being activated, but she’s quite okay like this. After all, this is not a conversation where she should let herself get too comfortable – both metaphorically and literally.

“Thank you,” she thanks Soundwave and the mech nods.

“Yes, yes, much appreciated,” Starscream joins in and she can feel the impatient notes in his tone. Y/n doesn’t know why, but she gets the feeling that Soundwave rolls his optics when he turns around and walks toward his workstation. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, though.

Both the young woman and the seeker watch the communications officer come up to his terminal, after that turning their attention back at each other.

 

“Now, Y/n,” the silver mech says as he places his forearms on the table, freakishly long and sharp digits calmly tapping on the metal, “How have you been?”

Starscream has this thing about him – he likes to start from afar, Y/n had long since noticed that. While they are currently in the presence of Soundwave and Laserbeak, and Starscream clearly wants to look good, this wasn’t the first time he decided to engage in oratory prelude before getting to the point. It’s usually a trait found in people who either really love small talk, fear to get to the point or think themselves to be so much smarter that their conversation partner that the latter couldn’t possibly notice that they are being cajoled. Yes, ‘cajole’ is a good word. Starscream likes to cajole people who could be useful to him. Y/n wonders if it’s something the seeker did since his days as a high-class mech in the seeker city-state of Vos or something he adopted when he joined Megatron and tried to get into his good graces. A bit of both, perhaps? In any case, she’ll gladly play along if Starscream wants to do it this way – she has enough eloquence to keep up with the SIC.

“I’ve been well, Starscream, thank you for asking,” the girl crosses her legs and calmly rests her hands on top of one another in her lap, “How are things on your end?”

“Things are as usual for me – as Lord Megatron’s second-in-command, I have a lot of responsibilities so most of my time I delegate to fulfilling those,” the seeker tells her proudly, lifting one of his servos from the table to lightly touch the middle of his chassis. Starscream really is laying it on thick with what a loyal and proud Decepticon he is.

“I see,” she nods and her demeanor is neutral, neither her voice nor expression showing signs of either friendliness or enmity. She doesn’t feel scared of the seeker by this point and whatever anxiety she had was forcefully shoved deep, deep down so she could efficiently hold this conversation. It’s easier to do than she imagined. Maybe, it’s because of Soundwave and Laserbeak being there. Or maybe she just got used to being around giant aliens made of living metal. Or, _maybe_ it’s the knowledge that Megatron would do unspeakable brutal things to Starscream should he harm her. In any case, she proceeds to look at the SIC with calm expectation while his large optics study her, his thin metal lips pressed together thoughtfully before he speaks:

 

“So, F/n L/n.”

“Yes, Starscream of Vos?” she replies, the gaze of her e/c eyes meeting that of the seeker’s red optics. The same red optics narrow slightly and Starscream leans back in his chair, crossing his legs as well, his arms now crossed. His overly polite expression is now replaced by a more familiar one with the mech looking like he’s trying not to frown. Y/n likes this better, it doesn’t insult her intelligence.

“I can see that you are not all interested in casual conversation, are you, human?” he asks, not so much insulted as trying to paint her in a bad light. The young woman slightly raises her eyebrows.

“I’d like to converse with you, actually, but don’t you think it would be easier to do so after we discuss the reason behind us meeting first?” she asks a question of her own, dismissing the mech’s attempt to provoke her. Starscream’s wings move slightly down as his head tilts to the side and Y/n thinks to herself that after Megatron and Soundwave his frame language is much easier to read.

“Perhaps,” the seeker says slowly, his voice getting more irritated bit by bit, “Then I’ll ask you. Since you’re still somehow – Unicron knows how and why – on this ship, how about a truce? Just for convenience’s sake, because this is getting utterly ridiculous.”

“Yes, it is ‘ridiculous’ how you insisted on insulting me almost each time we met, even though I didn’t do anything to you,” the winged human tilts her head to the right slightly, irony seeping from her voice.

“You _dared_ to shoot my optic and humiliate me in front of Megatron,” the seeker reminds, his tone dangerous as he leans forward, his claws gripping the armrests.

“After _you_ broke several of my bones and ordered me to beg you for mercy,” Y/n narrows her eyes as she gives the silver mech an icy glare.

“Oh Megatron punished me for that, I’m sure you were _very pleased and flattered_ ,” he says and while he doesn’t move, she can just feel the enmity in the air.

“Lord Megatron punished you _for disobeying his orders,_ it had nothing to do with me personally,” she counters coldly, “So if you want to find someone to blame for your punishment, look into a mirror.”

The mech uncrosses his legs and there is a loud, reverberating clang as his heelstrut hits the floor. Slowly, he rises and glares at the young woman. She wouldn’t say he’s enraged, but he is clearly very annoyed because of her words. Most probably, he’s trying to intimidate her. Standing up, the girl flies up from the table to be at optic-level with the seeker.

“I offered you a truce and you insult me?” he asks her, his optics looking at her like they could burn her to a crisp. Y/n is actually a little impressed by how quickly the mech seems to convert every single thing so that it places the blame on anyone else but himself. But she’s not here to psychoanalyse the second-in-command, is she?

“Starscream, I am not here to fight with you, but I’m also not going to agree with your accusations, especially when you know perfectly well how those things happened,” the girl tells him as calmly as she can, “If you want to agree on us being able to pass each other in the halls without it being too much of an annoyance each time – I’ll gladly agree to that.”

“Well excuse me if I am seemingly the only one on this ship who doesn’t cast aside his pride as a Cybertronian and pretend like your life matters,” Starscream borderline hisses at her before suddenly clasping his servos behind his back and lifting his wings a bit as he looks down at her, an amused half-smirk appearing on his face, “But it doesn’t matter. Everyone else can play with you until they get bored. The only thing that I need is that everyone-“

Starscream looks to the side where Soundwave is and then behind Y/n where Laserbeak is sitting before returning his gaze to her.

“… _everyone_ understands that I have better things to do than think of how to dispose of you. After all, even if you couldn’t ever be compared in value to any cybertronian here, you still serve _some_ purpose if our glorious master decided to keep you for now.”

 

The seeker’s words would have hurt if Y/n didn’t know him by now. But she already knows that Starscream is fond of demeaning those that he thinks are weaker than him, so instead the words leave her thoughtful. He seems to gain some sort of enjoyment from putting others down, but is that because he was just born a jerk and has been a jerk for all of his life or was there something behind it? There just seems to be endless anger in the seeker’s slender, almost delicate frame, an almost always present nervousness that surfaces the moment he’s brought out of his comfort zone even slightly. Considering that cybertronians lived for millions of years, these signs weren’t good ones, especially if left unchecked. Y/n wasn’t worried for the seeker’s mental health, what she _was_ worried about was the possibility of it causing Megatron problems. Starscream seems annoyed by the lack of reaction to his provocation as the young woman looks over his face thoughtfully for a moment.

“What?” he asks in irritation.

“May I ask you a question?” she inquires politely, knowing that as much as she would like an apology from the seeker for everything he did and said, at this point in time she was not only not going to get it, but she would also send the egocentric mech into another fit of rage. She, however, still had a hold on her ego even if it did require a lot of willpower to rein it in right now. Starscream’s optics narrow and he gets very quiet, probably forming some of his own opinions on her.

“You may try,” he finally replies, his voice low, but steady.

“I have been on the Nemesis for ten months now and we are only having this conversation now. Not surprisingly, considering our history. Still, what I want to ask is this – do you hate me because of my species? Or have you started hating me because of our very first exchange?” the young woman asks as she looks at the mech closely. The latter stares at her for a moment, his big red optics unblinking before a smirk appears on his face.

“Oh but I don’t _hate_ you, Y/n,” he says in a honeyed tone, clearly delighting in the fact that they both know that it’s a lie, “I came here to clarify exactly that. Maybe I don’t understand the trend of having a human around, but I don’t wish you harm. Well, let’s say ‘not anymore’.”

The seeker gives her a grin that can only be described as a ‘shit eating grin’ and Y/n realises that it’s impossible to have any type of productive conversation with someone who will do his very best to make it as convoluted as possible. If Megatron just slams the metaphorical door in the face of your question and Soundwave ignores it, Starscream apparently keeps talking bullshit until the ends of time. A little frustrating, but that was her small attempt. Her subconsciousness can’t blame her for not trying now.

“‘Not anymore’ you say?” the girl asks calmly, tilting her head slightly to the side, the look in her e/c eyes letting Starscream know that she doesn’t believe him for even a second, “Interesting. Would you be willing to act civil whenever we meet, then?”

“Do not expect to be showered in compliments, but yes, this little feud has gone on for long enough,” the seeker waves his servo at her dismissively, his expression now very nonchalant – it was actually peculiar through how many expression the mech went through during one conversation, “Will casually ignoring each other do for you as well? _Please_ say yes.”

“Very much yes,” Y/n shrugs, then clarifies, “But you do realise this means trying not to insult each other? I’ve been patient until now, Starscream, but believe me when I say that Lord Megatron would get quite annoyed if he knew how you speak to me. I would like to take care of this without his involvement, wouldn’t you?”

The second-in-command’s optic ridges shoot up as he looks at her with an offended expression that then changes to a surprised one. And then realisation hits him. Turning to where the spymaster is, the seekers asks, the notes of panic in his voice sounding very satisfying to Y/n right now:

“Soundwave, you haven’t been transmitting this little friendly conversation to Lord Megatron, have you?”

 

There is silence for a couple of seconds before a voice comes from the dark-framed mech. It’s a recording Megatron’s voice:

 _“Not yet, Starscream,”_ the low, stern voice tells them and Y/n sees how the seeker’s lips tighten and his back straightens a bit.

“Let’s keep it that way, hm?” the silver mech proposes, clearly not happy with the situation but making do with what he has, “This conversation was very productive, after all.”

He then turns to her and, for the first time, she’s not sure what the mech is feeling. He just stands there, looking at her for a moment thoughtfully before smirking.

“I don’t care about your species, but as long as you’re Lord Megatron’s _guest_ , I guess I will treat you as one. Deal?”

 

 

_Ten months and a lot of stress was all it took, huh._

 

 

“Deal,” Y/n nods, by now tired of the seeker’s presence. This meeting was all about achieving as little as this agreement. And now it was done. Whatever was in that mech’s processor, his behaviour and attitude were annoying enough to her that she would rather not spend any more time with him today. Or this week, preferably.

“Well then, you heard it, Soundwave,” the SIC said smugly, “So no reason to bother our master. Right, Y/n?”

“I guess,” she gives a small shrug, “In case Lord Megatron doesn’t order him to, I’m fine with this conversation not reaching him.”

 

At least not in a form of a recording, that is. She’ll definitely tell Megatron how it went either way, considering that the steel-colored mech already told her that he will want to hear of it once they meet in the evening.

 

Soundwave remains quiet and Starscream eventually gets tired of waiting for a response, so he fills the silence with his own voice again:

“I’ll take that as an ‘affirmative’, then? Well then, this has been very…something. But I have duties to return to.”

With that, the seeker looks at her before walking off, the large steel doors sliding open and shut behind him. Y/n sighs.

“Well, that was indeed _something,_ ” she grumbles as she flies down to where Laserbeak is, “Am I the only one who feels like barely anything was achieved?”

As the young woman starts petting one the mini-con’s wings and he gives a soft whirr of approval, she sighs again and decides that she probably should be happy with what she got, considering the seeker’s personality. After all, she reached her goal – Starscream agreed to civil interaction. Everything else didn’t matter as much in the context of this meeting. And she also got to see a few things in Starscream’s behaviour, even though they left her with more questions than answers. In any case, she’ll see how this new arrangement works out in the future. She’s not optimistic at all and she doesn’t trust Starscream a bit, but this is _something._

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

“I remember us having this talk what, maybe a dozen times, hmm?” Knockout asks as he lightly moves the servo that he holds his cube in, shaking the highgrade inside.

“And still you insist on keeping your opinion,” Starscream rolls his optics as he picks up his own almost-finished drink from the bar counter.

 

The two mechs are currently in the lounge area of the Nemesis – a place that was once repurposed from a spare storage area into a place where mechs who had enough shanix or collected rations could spend them in a way that could be considered ‘fancy’ on a place such as a warship. It was almost always mostly dark here with purple, magenta, blue and white neon lights placed here and there – along the bar, in simple patterns on the walls and ceiling, around the exit door. The tables, benches and chairs made of dark metal were from an high-end Iaconian place the Decepticons raided after they invaded the city and the whole bar area was transported via Megatron’s orders from a famous bar in Altihex – a city known for its trade and lavish living before the war. All in all, it was a very unique place on the Nemesis and – after their exodus from Cybertron – it became an unspoken rule that whatever fights arose, those were to be done somewhere else. If two parties _did_ start a fight, they would be promptly beaten up by everyone else present, often by the officers. There was only one ‘watering hole’ like this on the warship and – as vorns dragged on and their return to Cybertron still wasn’t in sight – it only got more valued for the atmosphere of ‘normalcy’ it acquired at some point.

It wasn’t like this bar was the only place for rest and relaxation, anyway. Most of the troops had their common rooms to spend their free time in. But this place – this was a place where the Decepticons could try and pretend for a while that such a thing as a ‘night off’ existed in times of war. Sometimes – especially during long space travels - the place was full, other times it was empty. The music in the lounge was set quiet enough so that one could still have a conversation but loud enough so that conversations weren’t the only thing audible in the room – it made for a good place for discussions, holocard games and relaxed drinking. Currently the place was mostly empty, save for some mine supervisor-Vehicons gathered around a table in the corner of the room, the bartender and the two officers at the bar.

 

“My opinion doesn’t make me into a headache for Big M,” the red mech points out and a smug little smile appears on the white metal of his faceplate when he sees the second-in-command scowl.

“ _You_ are a headache for Megatron for a dozen other reasons,” the seeker says as he points a sharp index digit at the medic.

“But not this one~” the doctor hums, offering a charming smile and a satisfied look of black-and-red optics before taking a sip to the sound of the silver mech’s irritated ‘hmph!’.

“Are you not bored with the human already?” Starscream asks half-condescendingly, half-judgingly as he crosses his legs and places one of his forearms on the counter, his frame turned towards his conversation partner.

“ ’fraid not, sorry,” Knockout shrugs nonchalantly, dismissing the other officer’s tone as if it was an insistent cyberfly. 

“You are not sorry in the slightest,” the seeker accuses and the other mech shrugs again with a chuckle, “I thought you were supposed to like aesthetically pleasing things.”

“I do,” the chief medical officer of the Nemesis says proudly before looking over at the bartender and calling him over with a wave of his index digit.

“You have a strange understanding of ‘aesthetically pleasing’, then,” the silver mech raises an optic ridge in disapproval as the bartender places two new cubes next to them, “Then again, you _did_ choose a ground altmode.”

“Oh Starscream, does it ever get tiring to be this narrow-minded? Hating so many things…Can’t be good for your spark, you know,” Knockout says cunningly and, as the SIC glares at him, looks over at the bartender with a suave smile, “I usually take mine with two macro-cubes of iced-En. Say, are you that new apprentice Nox was talking about?”

“Don’t you change the subject,” the seeker interjects sternly, leaving the nervous Vehicon to wordlessly add the iced-En cubes and run to the other end of the bar. Knockout sighs and looks back at the silver mech with a slightly disapproving look on his faceplate. The two of them weren’t friends but they were colleagues and over time they’ve found that they could engage in some interesting conversation and just gossip about the crew…but that was about where the relationship ended. Trust was a very rare thing on the Nemesis, and while the two sometimes did find themselves in each other’s company, they are far from friends. Especially not when Megatron’s second-in-command decides to be bratty.

“Definitely not good for your spark, Starscream. But yes, I am very much and automobile enthusiast,” the red mech says in a slightly bragging tone that makes the silver one roll his optics at the realisation that there was no point in trying to shake that kind of smug confidence.

“But _humans?”_ the seeker questions then takes a quick sip from his cube, his red optics glowing in the partial darkness.

“ _Human,_ ” Knockout corrects and this time he’s the one to roll his optics – after all, they’ve had this conversation about a dozen times before, “Starscream, can you just get over it? I thought you wanted to simplify things with Y/n today, not find another reason to complain over a cube.”

“I _did_ simplify things, she agreed not to be as intolerably irritating and disrespectful from now on,” the silver mech says proudly.

“Well you can trust her to keep her end of the deal. That is, if you keep yours,” the doctor replies and then smirks, lightly touching the edge of his cube with his lips. Starscream hmphs and taps his digits on his own cube. The seeker then gets a sneaky, smug smirk on his face as well.

“It’s cute. How you think you’re friends with the organic, that is. From where I see it, _I’m_ a better friend to her than any of you,” he says as he holds the servo with the cube somewhat away from himself, opening his arms and shrugging, “At least when I withhold critical, life-changing information I don’t pretend to be her amica endura at the same time.”

“Hmm, harsh words, commander,” Knockout hums and while a smirk is still lingering on his face, his optics now having a dangerous glow to them, “But there is nothing any of us can do, Megatron’s orders and all.”

“Indeed,” the seeker – clearly enjoying the moment – slightly moves his pede up and down and takes a sip, “Then again, even if our lord is merciless and selfish enough to not only lie to the girl, but also pretend like he’s her benevolent saviour and host for laughs, he never gave the order for _others_ to make friends with her. Or did I miss the memo?”

“What can I say, it’s fun spending time with Y/n, just kind of happened,” the medic smiles, his optics focused on the other mech in an intense gaze that doesn’t fit the light-hearted smile, “My, Starscream, can’t imagine how delighted you’ll be when Megatron tells her the truth.”

“I’m actually banking on her somehow finding out herself,” the seeker informs, his expression becoming a little less satisfied as he admits to a certain opinion of his, “The girl has this…look in her optic, that makes me feel that she’s not completely stupid. Megatron is good at lying an all of you are certainly making the charade easy to keep up, buuut…heh. Little by little, bytes of info will come to her attention. And if I’m right and she figures it out, I’ll have a fun few orbital cycles watching her grow to _despise_ all of you who she decided trust. And if by then Megatron decides to take her with us into space, away from Earth? Imagine her despair if she wouldn’t even have anywhere to run. Except the vacuum of space, that is.”

 

The thought makes the silver mech chuckle breathily and he grins at the medic in satisfaction.

 

“I don’t even need to do anything, I’m perfectly content to leave the human be and wait ‘till it all crashes down around her in a spectacular fashion. Oh that will be _delightful_ to watch.”

“You really don’t have much going on if you get so _excited_ from those kind of thoughts, huh?” Knockout chuckles condescendingly, making the SIC go silent and then get an incredibly offended look on his faceplate.

“I did _not_ mean it like that!”

“Sure, commander, whatever you say. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that jazz.”

“Knockout, this is an order from your commanding officer: Shut. Up.”

“Pulling rank while drinking in a bar? Not attractive at all, _commander.”_

“…Just let’s talk about something else, all this talk of the human is annoying, I’ve had quite enough of her today.”

 

As the two officers proceed to talk on a different subject, Starscream doesn’t suspect that not one, but three of the mechs in the room are left wondering about his words.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The next day, Y/n receives a request from the Vehicons to visit her in the afternoon. She had planned to go on a flight, but those plans could wait if her friends wanted to visit – especially if all the Vehicons could do so, which wasn’t a frequent occurrence, considering their differing duties and schedules. The young woman wonders if maybe something is wrong, but decides to hope that that isn’t the case as she contacts Knockout, asking him if he could maybe spare eight small Energon cubes. The medic replies with suavely-worded affirmation and tells her he’ll send Breakdown over to deliver. Y/n smiles as she thanks the doctor and puts her phone into her pocket. Even though Megatron’s soldiers received rations that were optimal for them to be efficient at what they do, the girl can’t help but try and sometimes offer something to her friends when they visit. Not only did it feel right from the side of her human habits of treating guests, but the knowledge that the Vehicons were mechs in the middle of a war tugged at her heartstrings and so she wanted to spoil them however she could. That is the whole reason she has something special planned for August, after all.

Soon, her room is full of her Vehicon friends. The room where her cabin stands isn’t big by cybertronian standards anyways, so having eight mechs there made it feel very much crowded. To be able to better see everyone and be able to sit with them in a circle, Y/n sits down on Steve’s shoulder armor. When there are less guests, she usually just stays on her porch or sits on the roof of her cabin, but with eight mechs present this is by far the most comfortable option so that everyone can look at her without trying to look over each-other’s shoulder.

 

The young woman notices almost immediately that something seems off about the mechs – they act a bit twitchy, nervous somehow, even if they try to hide it. They hide it with the subtlety of high school kids - at least in the eyes of Y/n, who grew to be very observant of their frame language over time. She doesn’t push it, instead tells them to take the Energon cubes before they sit down on the floor. They do just that and once Y/n sits comfortably on Steve’s shoulder, her wings now folded and her legs crossed, she tries to soothe the mechs’ nervousness by speaking warmly:

“Well this is certainly unexpected, but I’m glad you guys decided to visit. I haven’t seen all of you together like this for a while. Drink on, I even got the straws for you to comfortably drink through the induction ports in your masks.”

The Vehicons look at the cubes, then at Y/n, then at each other. Y/n feels that she really wants to call them all out, but decides to wait a while longer since she has a suspicion that – whatever it is – they’ll eventually tell her. Eventually. For now, she drinks some iced coffee from her large plastic cup.

“So we uh, came for a reason today,” 079 says as he shakes the still unsealed cube a bit.

“Yeah!” Steve quickly joins, looking over at the girl, his visor glowing bright red, “We did!”

She remains quiet, but looks over everyone present with a curious gaze. Steve continues:

“So we’ve known each other for what, almost an Earth solar cycle? Well, I mean, me and you – we’ve known each other longer than you’ve known all of these losers.”

Several ‘hey!’s and swears ring out and Steve chuckles, making Y/n smile as well. Jokes are good in times of tension. But what was this all about?

“Yes, almost a year. The two of us met on the 22nd of August and I met Bobby, Neil and Kody on the 12th of September,” the young woman nods with a smile, then hums and adds, “Steelstrike, ‘Tracks and Brush I met during my first time helping out in the medbay. And, well, Sevny, hah.”

“Sevny here pointed a rifle at you like a jackaft,” Neil helpfully continued, causing the mech who was spoken about turn his helm at him and grumble:

“C’mon supervisor, you know we were all on edge back then.”

“Sure were,” Y/n hurries to assure calmly as she nods again.

“So yeah, even if Mister 079 here is a recent addition, we kinda have this nice friend group going…”

“I still can’t believe I hang out with all of you,” Steelstrike mumbles and is swiftly nudged by Bob’s shoulder, “Hey-“

“Oh shut up, you know you love us,” Doomstracks says teasingly and everyone chuckles. The young woman takes a moment to just listen to the Vehicons banter – it’s a nice little moment of peace and she’s glad that the mechs began hanging out with each other even though before her arrival only the quartet of Steve-Bob-Neil-Kody was an established group. Who knows, with how long Cybertronians live, they could stay friends long after Y/n herself will be gone. Provided they survive the horrors of the war.

 

“Okay, _as I was saying_ …” Steve clears his throat, making the others quiet down and Y/n turn her head to look at him, “We have this little friend group going so we kinda thought that we should, eh, make you part of our grunt culture and-“

“I am no grunt!”

“Neither am I.”

“I technically only work on the command bridge-“

“GUYS,” Steve looks at Steelstrike, Neil and Kody, “You’re no officers, kay? So shut it and let me talk, fraggin’ pits-”

“He wants to drink with you without battle masks like friends do in the barracks.”

“ **…….…..** ”  Steve looks at 079 and Y/n can just feel his frame heating up.

“You were taking awfully long, kid,” Sevny states flatly. The two then turn their attention back to the girl, who looks over everyone in the room, her e/c eyes surprised. Sure, she had helped treat mechs who had parts of their masks blown off – she’s seen a glimpse of optic here, a corner of a mouth there. But usually the Vehicon battle masks were incredibly sturdy, so she would more often see a frame without a head entirely then without a mask on. And as far as Steve had once told her, after a couple million years of war it ‘became a part of you’ that mechs only changed upon receiving a different occupation or rank and took off fairly rarely, usually with friends. So this was…this was very exciting!

 

“Are you guys sure?” Y/n asks gently as she looks from visor to visor, finally resting her eyes on Steve’s.

“Yeah, sure!” Bob cheerfully announces.

“I mean, why not?” Steelstrike shrugs.

“Don’t be too amazed by my handsomeness, though,” Doomtracks smirks.

The others just nod. Then, Steve raises his servo to his helm and she hears a quiet hiss as the pressurised locks on his mask come undone. Steve dislodges it from his helm and Y/n’s e/c eyes meet a pair of red optics. While similar to Knockout’s in the sense of being black and red, their structure is more similar to those of Autobot Cliffjumper. The rest of Steve’s face is almost the same color of grey as the metal of his legs and his upper arms, maybe just a shade brighter. He has thin, barely noticeable lines going down from the middle of his optics and to his mouth. Also, is that a blue hue appearing on his cheeks? Y/n smiles warmly at the mech, the gesture touching her very heart.

“Hi,” she says simply.

“Hey,” the Vehicon replies and chuckles quietly. Both of them give a breathy laugh before Y/n hears the sound of seven other masks depressurising…

 

 

…

 

 

 

“And then he just flies back and tumbles down the hall backwards!” Bobby says as he slaps his leg and laughs.

“We told him that we’re going into hyperdrive, it’s his own damn fault,” Neil adds as he chuckles, the servo that is not holding his cube placed on Kody’s leg casually.

“I think he rolled like that for a while before hitting the wall!” ‘Tracks laughed at the memory, then took a big good sip, “Thanks for the Energon, by the way, Y/n!”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” she hurried to assure the mechs who started thanking her. As they returned to the conversation, the young woman put a hand behind herself and leaned back, looking over them. Usually, people made friends and strengthened their relationships in their spare time. She, however, had an abundance of ‘spare time’. Sure, she still dedicated time to study Cybertron and Cybertronians and she helped out in the medbay whenever there was an emergency, but other than that, she was free. Sure, she often spent time alone either travelling or just relaxing in the cabin, but much of her free time was also spent with the other mechs on board. For almost a year now. Maybe that’s why it felt like she had known them for more than that. Or maybe falling in love with Megatron had made her sentimental.

Either way, it was wonderful seeing everyone like this.

 

Bobby - the energetic, somewhat reckless chatty maintenance mech whose optics were lively and bright, almost more on the side of orange than red. And whenever the jet-altmode-possessing mech didn’t talk, there would be a smile or a grin plastered on his face.

Kody - the youngest of the bunch, one of the operators at the terminals on the Nemesis command bridge – was a helicopter by altmode and a sweetheart by spark. His optics were similar to Starscream’s, yet so different in how friendly and curious they were and how they got that sly spark in them whenever the young mech decided to be a smartass.

Neil - the second oldest of the bunch and a mine supervisor, had a jet altmode and a sarcastic sense of humour that Y/n could readily appreciate. She now could also appreciate his almost burgundy optics and his calm yet confident half-smirk.

079 – or Sevny – had a helicopter altmode but had way mode armor than Kody, as well as a hell of a lot more combat experience being one of the soldiers who were usually stationed at mines – and that was a very dangerous job to have, since mine sentries were first to get hit during an attack. Sevny had scars to show for it, too, sporting a scar over his right optic and one over the left corner of his mouth. And while he let his optic be repaired, he refused to get the scars taken care of, making Y/n think that there was a history behind them that the mech wasn’t willing to forget.

Doomtracks - more affectionately referred to as just ‘Tracks’ – was the one other mech (with Steve being the first) in their group to have a car altmode. Tracks was one of Megatron’s many soldiers and so he, together with Steve, Brushfire and Steelstrike, was among the forces usually deployed whenever Autobots were spotted. Quick-witted and down-to earth, the mech’s most distinguishing facial features were his wide optic ridges and his dentas that were a bit sharper than those of others.

Brushfire - Brush, for short – became Y/n’s friend after he panicked upon seeing her rummage around near his spark chamber and after the girl snapped at him for it. Despite the rocky start, the helicopter-altmode soldier seemed to genuinely be appreciative of the human that could now be seen regularly helping out in the medbay. He was also the most avid gamer in the group and Y/n could easily imagine the wide grin she saw now also appear during friendly matches.

Steelstrike, who was their resident ‘cool’ kid, actually had a pretty handsome faceplate with features that could almost be called aristocratic in a way, especially coupled with the unimpressed expression that the mech often sported. His smile suited him even more, Y/n thought as she watched his berry-red optics crease up when Tracks managed to make the jet-Vehicon laugh.

 

Y/n smiles happily as she looks over the mechs – these mechs that she’s known for so long yet whose faces she only saw today. The Vehicons – excluding Steve – were a different kind of friends to what Soundwave or the duo from the medbay were. It felt more like hanging out with the more lively ones of her Earth friends in some way. The mechs could often be loud or ignorant of a lot of things, but also much less set in their ways, much more open about telling life stories and much more prone to compromise. The latter, Y/n supposed, was because so many of them lived in close quarters so they had to adapt to live with each other somehow. In any case, while having get-togethers like this too often would be somewhat difficult for her introverted nature, the occasional meet up was more than a welcomed occurrence. She appreciated each of her Vehicon friends and was glad that they appreciated her enough to decide to let her in on the practice of spending time together without their masks on.

Hours passed and eventually her friends had to leave. Kody excused himself first – he needed to return to the command bridge for a shift. Next were Brush and Tracks – the two had a training session scheduled in one of the combat simulation rooms. 079 said he had ‘stuff’ to do and Bobby remembered that he was already 13 minutes late for a shift. Steelstrike, who surprisingly wasn’t the first one to leave this time, told her that ’this was nice, but time to go’ and smiled at her before putting his mask back on and departing.  Steve and Neil were the only ones left and the three of them continued talking for a while now that the room became quieter. Y/n, however, once again got the feeling that something was a bit off. Carefully, she tried asking about it. The two mechs shared a look before Steve scratched the back of his helm, his black and red optics looking at her a bit unsure.

 

“So you know how you convinced me to ask ol’ Nox to start teaching me his bartending ways in my spare time?”

The young woman nods.

“So he agreed, yesterday was my first day, actually.”

“Oh that’s amazing! I’m really happy for you, you’ll do great,” Y/n says with genuine joy and pride for her friend, giving him an approving smile that only became warmer as she saw the Vehicon’s optics blink and his expression change from surprised to bashful, to grateful.

“Yeah, thanks,” he smiles and then continues more confidently, “So, anyway, while I was there Neil came by with his mine supervisor buddies. And then someone else came by…”

The young woman stays silent, curiosity rising up in her quickly as her e/c eyes are focused on Steve.

“…So it was Starscream and Knockout. I mean, it’s no secret the two sometimes drink together- I mean you knew that, right?”

“I knew that,” Y/n nods. She does know, Knockout has repeatedly told her of his talks with the seeker as well as complained about the SIC’s terrible attitude. It was actually what convinced her to consider that the seeker could be planning to leave her alone in all seriousness. Steve sighs.

“Okay. So they were talking. About you,” her friend tells her and the girl nods, prompting him to continue, “So Starscream was going on how he hates the fact that Knockout and some others hang out with you, ‘Cybertronians are superior’ and all that. I mean we are, but jeez, didn’t bots hang out with other races all the time during the Golden Age?”

“To get to the point,” Neil speaks up, making Y/n look over at him, “We just wanted you to know that Commander Knockout definitely didn’t seem to like that, and that he managed to mess with Starscream enough to get him mad.”

“Which, to be real, doesn’t require much,” Steve says as he shrugs with the shoulder that the girl isn’t sitting on, “Anyway, by how it sounded, it really seems like Starscream decided to leave you alone.”

“Oh, I see,” Y/n looks to the side thoughtfully before looking back at both mechs, looking in each one’s optics gratefully, “Well thank you for telling me, guys. I feel much better knowing that you have my back. Really, thank you.”

The two Vehicons return the smile she gives them and nod.

“Well, y’know, we can’t do much for ya being simple troops under Lord Megatron and all, but we can do this,” Steve tells her before giving her a wink and sliding his mask back into place, “Speaking of, time to return to doing stuff. I’m on guard duty next to one of the Energon storages today.”

“Well don’t drink all of it, then,” Neil smirks and puts on his mask as well, “I’m still free for a while, probably will go catch some recharge cycles – hadn’t gotten the opportunity yet.”

“Oh yeah, with all those late night talks you and Kody have,” Steve smirks.

“Shut it,” the mine supervisor replies but it’s devoid of genuine anger, “Anyway, we’ll get out now, Y/n. Thanks for having us.”

“Yeah, and for the Energon, gonna be a much easier shift now,” the grounder adds as Y/n activates her wings and flies off his shoulder, now hovering in front of both mechs.

“My pleasure, guys. Thanks for looking over me,” the girl says as she smiles and opens the door for the Vehicons.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” Steve replies with a wave of his servo as they walk out, the door sliding shut behind them right after. The moment they’re gone, the smile falls off Y/n’s face to be replaced with a more thoughtful expression. She flies down to her cabin, deciding to stay inside after all and brew herself a pot of hot tea.

 

Interesting, she thinks as she lands on the porch and takes off her wings. It’s interesting how Neil and Steve decided to tell her of that interaction between Knockout and Starscream. It’s both interesting _and_ satisfying, because the medic had already texted her about the conversation last night. It was nice to see that her investment into friendships on the Nemesis was paying off; it really made her feel more comfortable on the ship. Still, there was a little annoying worm of doubt eating away at her, like she was missing something, like the Vehicons weren’t worried just about taking off their masks and telling her about Knockout’s and Starscream’s conversation…Then again, thinking that way was an easy way to let herself slip into paranoia. Today was a good day, she got to see the faces of her friends and she now knew that both the Vehicons and Knockout were willing to keep her informed on things more than before. She could work with that in the future. It’s nice having sources of information that aren’t Megatron or Soundwave, even if she trusts the two former gladiators. There’s a certain security in relying on several information sources, especially if those sources consider you a friend.

 

For now, however, it is time to do something useful. Sitting down on her couch and putting her tablet on her lap, her tea on the coffee table next to her, the young woman decides to study up on cybertronian physiology some more.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breakdown and Knockout will appear in the next chapter because I got carried away(again) and also because they have a large role to play in the next chapter. 
> 
> And on the matter of Steve not telling Y/n the truth - well, he doesn't want to lose a friend. Also, who would be crazy enough to go against Megatron's orders?...Who, indeed...
> 
> ALSO, who caught the 'straw and (emergency) induction port' reference? :D


	51. Red And Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected injury leads to an impromptu experiment with Energon. Y/n starts working on her little project. Knockout and Breakdown spend time with Y/n.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I was procrastinating again, huh? I mean, yes. But I was also dealing with exams and writing two massive chapters :D After this and the next one, we have maybe 3.5 (smaller) chapters of the life you got used to. So, y'know, enjoy while this lasts;D  
> And maybe bring some drinks and snacks. Between the two of these new chapters there's 30.000 words. 
> 
> Why? 
> 
> Because Transformers, that's why.  
> Also because I have 100% no chill when it comes to worldbuilding. Forgive me, we'll get more action after these two chapters ':D
> 
> Also!  
> If you happen to need a reminder, our red and blue friends have very pretty altmodes.  
> Breakdown:  
> http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/thumb/0/06/DeusExMachina-Breakdowntruck.jpg/800px-DeusExMachina-Breakdowntruck.jpg  
> https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/transformersprimes/images/f/f7/Breakdown_Altmode.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141206183213&path-prefix=ru
> 
> Knockout:  
> http://pics.imcdb.org/10555/coupe2.2.jpg  
> http://drac-ooh.tumblr.com/post/38739182258/nice-tfp-designs-1-knock-outs-interior
> 
> Ok I'm finally done.  
> Hope you enjoy the chapters, as always, thank you for reading! <3

 

 

Well, this was very unexpected.

 

Being in shock tended to sometimes render one temporarily numb to pain as the brain was busy desperately trying to both comprehend something and guard one's psyche at the same time. As Y/n looked at her right hand that was currently missing three fingers – her middle finger, her ring finger and her pinkie – the first reaction she could find in herself was panicky frustration. Well...Well _frag!_ With a rushing stream of curses – both human and cybertronian - circling in her mind, the young woman only spared a glance to where the lost digits had disappeared to between the components of a T-Cog. It was her own damn fault, really. While her reaction time was way faster than an average human’s and even though she pulled away what seemed like at the last moment when the damaged metal organ suddenly reactivated, in reality, it still managed to snag her fingers. She just _had_ to check it one more time, hadn’t she?

 

Had she not– Ah, but what the heck do ‘if’s and ‘only’s  matter now? She needed to do something about this horrible mess of blood, flesh and broken bone. _Now._

 

Hearing nothing but her own breathing, her heartbeat and – funnily – the sound of Knockout’s circular saw, the cybertronian proxy quickly stood up on the Vehicon’s abdomen that she previously lay on, hopped over the open plating, put on her wings and hurried over to the only place she conceivably could make herself better at – an open Energon cube that stood on the counter. There was usually enough transfusion Energon in the medbay, but this little crate-sized cube was Y/n’s – courtesy of Knockout and Breakdown. She got used to dipping her hands in it after all their work was done as it gave her a nice tingly, refreshing feeling. Her skin seemed to also like it, so of course Knockout would encourage the practice. Right now, however, all that didn’t matter. As she landed on the counter, clutching her mangled, generously bleeding hand to her chest, Y/n wanted to only do one thing – dip the whole arm in, just dip it in, _just dip it all in, don’t look at it, don’t look if it’s beginning to heal in the form of fingers or stumps, just-_

 

Her hand felt like it was pulsing too strongly, it welt both numb and oversensitive, like it was stung by a hive of hornets. The pain was slowly beginning to kick in, but was currently overshadowed by her shock, fear and panicky thoughts about how exactly she was going to go about her life, how would she explain this to her mom, to Megatron-

 

Her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to breath deep, the girl desperately ordered herself to calm down. This wasn’t the scariest situation she had experienced this year. Not even the most painful one. But…she never had limbs just taken off. What the hell was going to happen? Knockout had his theories that were based on how she usually healed and how Energon usually affected her, but there was never any way to prove it since Y/n had never before had a body part chopped off and wasn’t exactly willing to stab herself to drip Energon directly into a deep wound. Well, now she really had no choice, since the only thing her body was screaming for was the damn alien substance.

The young woman quickly put her arm up to her elbow into the cold unnaturally glowing liquid, biting her lip until it bled at the searing pain that shot up her arm, spreading through her entire body with every beat of her heart. Suddenly, this idea didn’t seem like a smart one, theories and previous experiences be damned. Was she going to have Energon poisoning? Die while having a seizure? Puking blood? There wasn’t even a way to help her now, wasn’t like there were other proxies on board who she could ask. As the pain seemed to lessen, the girl nervously tried to move her fingers and felt a familiar tingly itching in the three of them that were (not) supposed to be there. Did she just feel her fingers? Was it phantom pain? Was she hallucinating from Energon poisoning? What was happening? Why in the hell did she let her body carry her to the cube and stick her hand in? Damn it, she was usually better at controlling herself than this!

Her shocked state seemed to have passed mostly, now being replaced by a feeling of lightheaded panic. Almost like drinking a whole pot of black coffee before an exam, but with hundred times more dread. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and both her hands were trembling – not so much from the pain as from fear. She could handle cuts and even broken bones – this, this was new. Would she have to get prosthetic fingers? Just- just have to stay positive. At least she could be sure that Knockout and Breakdown could make her some pretty new metallic fingers. Maybe this wasn’t so bad, no need to panic. No need to panic, no need to-

 

 

“Y/n, what are you- _Primus, that is a lot of blood!”_

 

 

“Knockout, don’t worry-“ she tried to calm the doctor down, knowing that his panic would only reignite her own, but he interrupted her as he walked away from the patient that he had just finished working on:

 _“Too late for that_ ,” the red mech hissed at her, coming up to the counter and putting both servos on top of it.

“Kid, what in the pits happened?” Breakdown asked, trying to keep calm even though his voice was much more strained than normal, “Obviously _something,_ since you usually don’t run around the medbay when you’re hurt.”

“You say that like she gets hurt here all the time,” the medic said almost as if he took it as a personal insult before giving the girl a stern look.

“I’ve been seriously hurt during operations only like three times over the whole year. Mostly when organs decide that they have a mind of their own,” Y/n gave a nervous, distracted half-smile, her attention still chained to her right hand and she _thought_ she could feel the whole of it, feel how cold the Energon is from her elbow to all of her fingertips, but she was still scared to check. Because everything she had known for most of her life told her that she would still be missing three of her fingers. Thinking of how things should go from a strictly human perspective was sometimes a difficult habit to shake, especially when something like this happened.

“Y/n,” Knockout spoke again, this time with a calm yet direct insistence of an experienced medic,“What happened to your servo?”

The young woman’s lips twitched and her eyes darted to the place where her arm met the contents of the cube. Because of the difference in density, the blood didn’t immediately completely mix with the Energon, creating an abstract picture of red on bright blue. Fascinating, she thought absentmindedly as she felt tears trying to well up in her eyes, making them burn a bit. It’s scary, losing a part of herself - even if small, even if it can be replaced, even if logically it’s a much more minor injury than getting multiple ribs crushed or getting her organs shot.

“Y/n?” Breakdown’s unsure voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she straightened her back, trying to keep her expression in check. It’s fine. It’s _fine._ It’s no big deal either way. She’ll wear the rings and bracelets that Megatron gave to her on her left hand and no one will even notice. What was she even thinking? Hah, thinking about how she’d wear her jewellery. It was almost funny. If it didn’t make her want to cry, that is.

 

Okay, enough with this. It was time to face whatever it was that happened to her hand.

 

She took a deep breath. The next breath she took, she held. Gathering all of her willpower, the young woman took out her hand in on fluent motion that – in her mind – went on for an eternity. She saw her wet forearm, her wrist, her knuckles and then...all of her fingers, good as new. Three of them didn’t have nail polish on, however - the only reminder that something really happened. Hah.

“Hahah,” she gave a quiet, nervous laugh as she exhaled in relief and looked over her hand, felt it with her other one, furled and unfurled her fingers. A huge grin settled on her face and she laughed breathily, relief making her lightheaded. The two mechs stared at her in confusion and worry, and Y/n finally decided to give them some context now that she had nothing to worry about.

“So Knockout, that theory you had about my regenerating limbs – works with fingers, I guess!”

_“What?”_

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Y/n chuckled again, “I’m okay. In fact, I’m feeling _great.”_

There was no lie there. Now that all the fears and dread were gone, the girl realised that she was indeed feeling amazing! No tiredness, no pain – instead, she felt like she was having a sugar rush of sorts. There seemed to be just endless energy inside her and she needed to do something with it. Now, _now, now._

“Hold up,” Breakdown put out his servo in front of her as she activated her wings and tried to take off and go back to her patient, “You just got who knows how much Energon into your bloodstream. Judging by your eyes – enough to potentially make your body act weird.”

“Agreed,” Knockout nodded as he scanned her with the medical scanner on his wrist, looking at the display on his forearm afterwards, “Hm…Your pulse is elevated and your brain may as well be on fire with how active it is.”

“Well I’m _somewhat_ excited after having regrown three fingers in a matter of maybe a minute, okay? And oh, my eyes are glowing now?” Y/n tried to answer as calmly as she could, but it came off really chipper - chipper like she had drunk 5 espressos at once, “Guys. Work. We have work to do. Soldiers in pain. Someone, please groan in pain?”

 

A Vehicon that was missing an arm, but could stand on his own made a pained groan from his waiting spot at the door.

 

“You - shut up,” Knockout snapped, giving the poor patient an over-the-shoulder glare before looking back at Y/n, “And _you_. You have no business operating.”

“Well you can’t let me go home, right?” the young woman questioned, raising an eyebrow as she stubbornly tried to stay and help, “You have to watch me now, _doctor.”_

“Oh I will,” the chief medical officer of the Nemesis said with a dangerous glint in his optic, “I can put you in a nice little test tube and watch you from there.”

“Come on, Knockout,” the bigger mech interfered hesitantly, putting his large servo on his partner’s shoulder, making the latter turn his attention to him, “You can’t just lock her up. She’s been through enough stress already.”

“Well what do you propose? I let her back to work?” the cherry red doctor asks as he crosses his arms and shifts his weight to one leg, “For all I know, she’s high as a satellite right now.”

There was a moment of clarity in Y/n’s mind after she heard that. She…might be, actually. This boundless energy that she felt, her whole body restless and tingling as if telling her she could do anything, this anxiousness – is this really the best state to be working on patients in?

“I think you’re right,” the young woman said to her friends thoughtfully, making both of them and some of the patients that were conscious and within earshot to look at her in surprise.

“You…sure ya feeling okay, though? Do we need to take you to a human hospital?” Breakdown asked, his yellow optics worried. It was obvious that the two of them had no idea as to what to do right now besides watching her, but human doctors would know even less…not to mention expose her to government agencies. Y/n shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath as she tried to make both her thoughts and her speech slow down.

“I feel good, really. There’s like this…surge of energy that I can’t find anything to do with, but I definitely don’t want to cause any trouble. So, yeah… if I can’t help, I at least don’t want to mess anything up.”

The doctor and his assistant shared a concerned look before Knockout spoke to her, his voice getting back some of its suaveness, even if Y/n was fairly sure that it was the mech’s defence mechanism:

“Okay, doll. Let’s do this – you watch me work, fetch me anything I need. Like an impromptu private lesson. You feel weird – you tell me. When your eyes return to your usual pretty e/c – you tell me. Deal?”

“Deal,” the girl nodded, her mind immediately coming up with every possible thing Knockout could need and Y/n would be able to carry over to him. Just. Slow. Down. Brain. 

 

They did exactly as they had planned and, after the last patient was given a reminder to keep quiet about the 'little incident' and then dismissed, Knockout thoroughly scanned her again, took samples of her blood and saliva (despite his disgust with anything organic) and both mechs asked her in detail about how she was feeling. In the end, however,  after a couple of hours of staying with Knockout and Breakdown, the young woman was permitted to go back to her cabin after her eyes finally returned to normal. They decided to keep quiet about the incident for now – if only because of the concern that Megatron could (definitely would) give the duo a hard time about it and then could possibly (definitely) want to prohibit Y/n from helping out in the medbay. They decided on another examination in the morning, as well as comparing the blood samples from today - August the 3rd \- and tomorrow.

 

 

That evening, she swims in the bath for hours and – after Megatron arrives to her cabin at night – jumps the mech and keeps him _very busy_ in bed for a while until eventually feigning tiredness to let the warlord recharge. While Y/n was very aware that he could go a night without sleep and engaged in fun intimate activities, she was also aware that the mech had returned from battle and required proper sleep in case there was a follow-up attack. Optimus Prime was a skilled tactician, so one could never know what to expect from him – either a series of quick attacks or a string of conflicts several weeks apart. After all, cybertronians were in no hurry – they had all the time in the world compared to humans.

In any case, the moment Megatron falls asleep and his holoform disappears, Y/n sits up on the bed and then promptly hops off it. She’s a little disappointed at losing the warmth and comfort of her beloved lord beside her, but she’s also glad he was able to fall asleep and she could now continue to get rid of the excessive energy she had fizzling inside her. The girl dresses in some comfortable working out clothes and decides to work the energy off that way. She stretches and does some acrobatics, she lifts her washing machine out of curiosity and it feels like – if she had a way to grip it comfortably – she could easily lift it with one hand. Maybe juggle with it and the dishwasher?... _Really?_ Some of the thoughts that cross her mind in rapid succession today are really stupid. She puts on her wings and flies around for a bit, restless, feeling like a rubber ball that keeps ricocheting off the walls after being thrown by a strong servo. Strong Servo. Like Megatron’s. Megatron sure has strong servos- _Just stop._

It’s six in the morning when she finishes redecorating the cabin, as much as the limited space allows her. The couch stays in the same place since Megatron can walk up to it comfortably that way, everything else is pushed and carried to different places. Huh. Y/n wanted to do that for a while, guess her energy levels finally surpassed her laziness levels. Despite her brimming with energy, she slows her movements to gently put some things onto a shelf that is in plain view. A large pine cone – a Siberian cedar pine cone, to be precise – a souvenir from her outing with Megatron a year ago. A beautiful piece of an orangy gold-coloured alien crystal – a present from Kody and Neil after the incident in the Alabama mine. A beautiful Cybertronian-style box that holds a gorgeous set of jewellery – Megatron’s Christmas present. The restored key to the old mansion that the warlord gave to her for her birthday – Y/n plans to bring it back to the old building as a finishing touch once she’s done with repairs. A pretty flower-patterned teacup that, if looked at closely, has an insulting phrase written on it – the Vehicons’ present for her birthday. The latest addition - a set of fancy car keys she now plans to spin on her index finger whenever she’s out racing with Knockout – the medic gave it to her as a ‘stylish little accessory’ to use if she wanted to, but the young woman knows from Breakdown that the cherry red mech had looked for ‘a perfect one’ for a while, agonizing over the perfect blend of his own vision of ‘stylish’ with Y/n's.  Other gifts - from her family and Earth friends – also find their place on the shelf. Once finally done, the young woman looks over everything adoringly before continuing on with everything else at a much quicker pace.

From seven to nine o’clock she busies herself with flying outside the Nemesis with Laserbeak while thinking about that event she has planned. The idea of getting a real Energon fountain comes to her mind for about a dozen times, but she beats it down mercilessly with logic. War. Resources are precious. War. Precious resources. She flies up and drops down, spins and turns, wondering what it would take to finally tire her out. At ten, she’s back in her room, full swing into dancing away to one of the songs on her YouTube recommended feed when she hears – despite the loud music – a smirk. Turning around, she notices Megatron standing on the porch, his arms crossed.

 

“I swear I don’t dance this spastically usually,” she says with a nervous laugh, trying to imagine how much exactly the mech got to see while praying to Primus that she isn’t blushing too hard.

“How should I know?” her lover asks, his optic ridge raised, “You have never danced for me, after all.”

“Oh, Lord Megatron, do you _really_ want to see _me_ dance for you?” Y/n asks as she chuckles, her question purely rhetorical as she’s sure he doesn’t. As much as she’s gathered by the mech’s stories, he already had his fill of gorgeous-framed mechs and femmes dancing for him in the days of his gladiatorial fame.

“I would, actually,” Megatron suddenly replies, his expression amused as she takes as small step back from pure surprise, “You do not _need_ to. But yes, I would greatly enjoy that.”

“I ah, um…” the young woman laughs – this time somewhat nervously – as she tries to remember the last time she danced for an audience. Not to mention the type of dances that were practiced on Cybertron – that was something she had no experience in. Perhaps? Maybe? Sometime? Damn it, it’s hard fully maintaining her grip on her emotions when she is like this and her thoughts keep switching from normal to random.

“You seem… _energetic_ today,” Megatron graciously changes the subject as he makes an observation, his red optics watching her with a steady, curious gaze, “Too much coffee?”

“Yup,” the girl agrees before even thinking and, as much as she doesn’t want to lie to her lover, she _really_ doesn’t want him the real reason behind her behaviour. Not right now. Not when she’s still this anxious, “You busy today? Did you sleep well? Good morning, by the way.”

 

 

_Slow. The hell. Down._

 

 

“I will be. I did. Indeed, good morning,” the steel-coloured mech replies as his optics are still on her, calm yet concentrated, “And your plan for today is…?”

“Visiting the medbay,” she says, managing to keep the pace of her speech under control this time, “We decided to run some tests on me. It was a long time coming, really, I just kept putting it off.”

“Tests?” the warlord asks, his optic ridges coming together a bit more, his expression becoming sterner, “What kind of tests? Are you unwell, Y/n?”

“Oh I’m feeling great,” Y/n is quick to assure as she comes up to him and takes his servos into hers. Suddenly, it’s much easier to calm down and concentrate. Ah, the power of love. Hahah. Isn’t silly if it works, though! She looks up at the mech and gives him a warm smile as her thumbs trace over his knuckles…those of them she can comfortably reach, at least. The noticeable weight of these large servos is comforting as Y/n holds them. The warlord still seems to be concerned, his optics looking her over with intense attentiveness as his lips are pressed together tightly.

“I’m okay,” she tells him again, softer this time as she meets his gaze with her loving one, “As I’ve said, I should have done this long ago - I just kept putting it off. A simple blood test here, a cardio test there, some scans - nothing scary. Just for general knowledge of what’s going on and what the hell I am.”

Megatron gives her a long look, studying her expression before finally nodding, his servos turning and digits closing around her hands. It makes her heart skip a beat.

“I can tell you without any tests what you are - the very finest your species has to offer,” he assures her and, while his tone is still serious, there is a barely noticeable upward quirk at the right corner of the mech’s mouth, “I will expect to hear of the results once we meet in the evening.”

“You know I’ll tell you,” the young woman says as she leans up, stands on her tiptoes and hops, placing a quick kiss to the mech’s chin, “Don’t worry, everything is fine.”

The warlord seems to trust her, but obviously still takes this very seriously. He does, however, lean down and kiss her properly as his arms come around her body and hold her tight. It feels so nice and Megatron is so very warm. The touch of his lips is to die for and his embrace always feels like home, she thinks as she slowly peppers his face with light kisses the moment their kiss ends. Oh and does that earn her a warm glow of those wonderful red optics.

“If the doctor steps over _any_ line - notify me,” he tells her and that makes the young woman chuckle. Oh yes, notify Megatron of any shenanigans Knockout might get up to. Sure.  Not. Still, knowing that Megatron cares and is even somewhat territorial is nice.

“It’ll be fine, darling,” she assures, her hands on his chassis, fingertips affectionately tracing the layers of metal – the neck plates, the layer the Decepticon insignia is on, the collar-like purple plates, the armor that covers it all.  Suddenly, it seems like she’s in no hurry at all as she looks over each layer, each curve of metal and each scratch affectionately.

“Sorry, I know I’m keeping you,” Y/n says with a soft chuckle as she lifts her hands off the holomatter metal and looks up at her lover’s face.

“This is my army and my ship, Y/n. I come and go as I deem necessary,” Megatron reminds her, his voice steady and rich with affection as he takes one clawed servo off her back and gently presses her hand back to his chassis, “Continue. Please.”

Something in those words, in the tone they were said in, makes her hands, neck and cheeks feel much warmer suddenly. So, as she continues, her hands running over the purple collar plate around the warlord’s neck once again, the young woman locks eyes with him. By this point, his frame is so very familiar to her that she can touch him the way she knows he would enjoy while her attention is kept on his optics. And his lips.

“You’re very lucky you’re so much taller than me, I would be kissing you way more if I could just reach you without jumping up and down or climbing up your frame,” she shares with a loving little smirk.

“Really now?” Megatron asks, optic ridge slightly raised as he smiles in amusement, the corner of his mouth showing off his sharp dentas. A moment later, she suddenly finds herself looking _down_ at him as she sits on his massive forearm, the mech having easily lifted her off the ground and now holding her without any sign of effort. Y/n lets out a content laugh as she hangs her head and shakes it, her hands resting on the warlord’s shoulders.

“Now, I believe I was promised something,” he reminds, his voice more of a warm, low purr right now as he looks up at her expectantly, his optics glowing with both affection and amusement. And Y/n is all too happy to lean down and cover the Decepticon lord’s lips with hers.

 

 

As the day went by, Y/n stayed in the medbay with Knockout and Breakdown. The medic was surprised to hear that she was still anxious and energetic, even if it seemed to be getting less intense around noon. The whole process of taking different physical tests as Knockout scanned her and then giving up a bit of her blood wasn’t stressful at all thanks to both mechs and her familiarity with the medbay by this point. The talked about stuff, they joked and made plans, they put a horror movie on to play in the background – it was nice, really.

In the end, they decided that – once she was completely back to normal  - they should redo the tests to be sure and try introducing different dosages of Energon into her system, both directly via injection and by ingestion. And, after yesterday, it didn’t sound like so much of a scary idea anymore. For now, however, after a year of having all sorts of Energon splashed over her body in the medbay, having it get into open wounds and into her bloodstream and having Knockout examine her after, it seemed that the alien substance didn’t do any harm to her. On the contrary, it stimulated her regeneration and had a caffeine-like effect, heightening her senses and increasing her energy levels drastically. 

It was around the evening when Y/n started feeling the hangover-like symptoms after the Energon’s effects finally wore off. She still wasn’t too tired, but there was a feeling of heaviness in her whole body, accompanied by shortness of breath, increased heartbeat and a massive headache. The incredible high of feeling like she was brimming with energy was now replaced by the dire need to crawl into a hole where no sound could reach her, curl up there and stay there for preferably a century or so. After examining her and making sure she wasn’t indeed dying, Knockout and Breakdown found it incredibly funny. Afts.

 

“Oh is our little Y/n hungover? Poor doll~”

“Wasn’t even highgrade too, heh.”

“Someone’s a mess. Still a hot mess, though~”

“Geez, kid, ya need some water or something? What do human drunks use?”

“Guys. I hate you _so much_ right now.”

“We love you too, doll. Now go sleep it off, will you?”

 

And she did just that. Arriving to her cabin, the young woman went straight to bed, hiding herself under the covers completely as her whole body – particularly her head – continued throbbing painfully. Well, this was ‘fun’. If this was what she had to expect when Knockout eventually exposes her body to Energon again, she was not thrilled. Eventually, however, the young woman fell asleep, the weight of the blanket, the warmth and darkness under it helping her with it no doubt. It was only in the late evening when the sound of Megatron’s pedesteps on her bedroom floor awoke her. And, while the Decepticon lord seemed somewhat surprised by her drowsy demeanor – so different to how she was in this morning – he didn’t seem to mind at all when Y/n nestled herself on top of him, nuzzling his warm chassis.

“You are acting somewhat strange today, Y/n. Do you wish to tell me why, perhaps?” he asked as his digits ran through her hair and down her back, scratching with just enough pressure for it to be perfect, especially in the young woman’s current state. Y/n quickly imagined telling the warlord of her accident the day before and having to deal with his displeasure, so the idea was quickly scrapped – she was in _no_ mood to deal with a grouchy Megatron right now. Yawning and scratching her lower leg on the mech’s pelvic armor with (almost) no dirty thoughts attached, she replied:

“I guess I’m just tired from all the stuff I did today. I’ve been busy~” she said, yawning again as her head lay on the broad steel-coloured chassis, “Oh, I also convinced Knockout to run some tests on me in the future to see how I react to Energon being introduced into my body. Miniscule doses, of course, dilated for sure. But, you know, if I can dip my body in it and have a refreshing bath, and if it’s in my DNA to be able to handle it…”

Megatron stayed silent, but his servo had stopped moving and she could just feel the heavy, judgemental gaze of his optics. She couldn’t blame him, of course. After all, he didn’t know that she had already tested Energon's effects on herself and found out that it was safe.

“ _Please_ don’t order Knockout not to do it. I really need to know,” the girl asked, knowing full well that Megatron was very used to always getting his way and his way only. The mech under her stayed silent still.

“I mean, in case anything ever happens, we should know if we could use it to heal me?” she tried again with a sigh, then looking up at him, e/c eyes meeting scorching red optics. She watched his expression as he scowled and she could almost sense the effort the mech applied not to say something – probably something harsh. Finally, narrowing his optics at her, he spoke:

“I will allow it, but only because it could be of use should your health ever require it. You are to report to me after every procedure.”

Something about the controlling, demanding tone of his voice made her inwardly cringe, like a small yet frustrating papercut that didn’t harm yet let itself be felt long after the fact. Megatron was a very controlling mech, of course, and no doubt he worried - and worry was a weakness, and when he felt weakness he often defaulted to his ‘warlord’ behaviour.  And, right now, Y/n wasn’t exactly in the mood to explain to him that he could have worded his concerns better.

“Understood,” Y/n replied in a calm, neutral tone before nodding and placing her head back on his chassis. She could voice her displeasure tomorrow when her head won’t be feeling like an anvil. Hopefully. Megatron stayed silent and still for a while, then his chassis rose as he took a deep breath, exhaling with a slight groan.

 _“I worry,”_ the mech said and, while the explanation itself was obvious, the fact that the warlord explained himself to somebody was something that Y/n knew wasn’t easy for him to do. He was trying, though, and getting better at it. In fact, while sometimes awkward at emotional intimacy, Megatron actually showed signs of understanding it on a very instinctual level. Somewhere in there, there was a mech who knew how to do and say all the right things, but boy was he buried under millions of years of dust and lordly pride.

“I know, I know,” the young woman assured with a small smile and a sigh, “Just…You don’t have to order me, Megatron. Despite what your soldiers may think, I’m not your subordinate.”

“I never said you were.”

His servo began stroking and scratching her side slowly again and his voice softened once more – not quite to his usual relaxed tone yet, but something close to it. In response, Y/n nuzzled his chassis and placed a kiss to the grey metal, assuring him that all was good between them. The sound of Megatron’s sparkbeat under her head seemed to quicken for a moment.

“You are important to me, Y/n. I need to keep you safe,” the mech spoke again, his deep, husky voice now finally getting back some of its wonderful warm notes, “…I should have worded it like that in the first place.”

Y/n couldn’t agree with that more, but she knew the warlord was very aware of that already. So the young woman just looked up and leaned up, placing a loving, reassuring kiss onto the grey scarred lips of her lover.

“You know how much I care about your well-being too,” she said, her gaze locked with Megatron’s as she smiled lovingly, “Thank you.”

Crimson optics glowed with a warm, affectionate light as the corners of the mech’s lips rose a bit, one of his servos coming to rest on the small of her back while the other carefully took her by the chin. He looked over her face, unhurried in his appreciation, before bringing her down to kiss her slowly, with enjoyment and passion that made her heart swell.

 

 

*******

 

 

Y/n didn’t open her eyes when she heard the sounds of her bedroom door opening and the wooden floorboards creaking under heavy pedesteps. Instead, she pretended to still be asleep, even if the one coming up to her knew full well that she couldn’t be by this point. She heard him kneel at her bedside. The tips of pointy digits buried themselves in her hair, soon followed by his whole servo as her lover affectionately stroked her hair.

“I know you are awake,” Megatron stated quietly in amusement and she couldn’t help but smile at that.

“No, no, definitely asleep,” the young woman argued, her voice still sleepy. Hearing the mech hum in doubt, she took one of her hands from under the blanket and put it onto the clawed servo, relishing the feeling of touching the smooth metal. The moment her fingers got between his digits, those digits pressed together, trapping her fingers between them.

“Then do tell me, what do you dream of?” the Decepticon lord inquired, his voice low and rumbling as he decided to play along.

“I dream of living on a flying alien warship, having giant mechanical aliens as friends and having the smartest, strongest, most handsome one of them as my lover,” she replied in a dreamy voice, though couldn’t quite manage to stop a little chuckle from escaping her at the end of the sentence. Finally, she opened her eyes - just in time to see a small satisfied smirk appear on the warlord’s face.

“Good morning,” she added, smiling wider upon locking eyes/optics with the mech. He nodded.

“Good morning, Y/n. I came here to wish you precisely that in person. I must go to the command bridge now.”

“Such a responsible mech, what would the Decepticons ever do without you?” the girl said as she took her other hand out from the warmth that the blanket offered and put it on the side of the kneeling mech’s helm. Said mech sighed, rolling his optics and grumbling:

“Ideally - efficiently follow protocols. More likely - panic and listen to the fool who screeches the loudest.”

“Have a little more faith in your subordinates, dear. But, on the note of screeching…I mean, his name _is_ literally Star _scream_ ,” Y/n said with a sigh of her own before sitting up on the bed and giving the warlord a loving smile, “Thank you for coming over to wake me, Megatron.”

The warlord nodded and while his face was mostly neutral his fiery red optics looked over her sleepy form with a warm glow that made her cheeks feel warmer and her heartbeat quicken. The moment she noticed him beginning to get up, the young woman leaned forward and gently put her hands on Megatron’s shoulders, making him stop and regard her with calm curiosity. She looked at those optics for a moment, at how they blinked and watched her, before leaning over even more, now shifting her weight to the mech’s shoulders as she kissed him. Immediately, his servos were on her – holding her by the waist and slowly, affectionately dragging up and down her back as a quiet, satisfied rumble could be heard coming from deep in the warlord’s chassis.

  
Soon after, the Decepticon leader was gone, leaving her once again alone in her cabin. The young woman spent a little while being lazy in her bed before finally getting up and heading into the shower. She had plans for today that included her flying with Laserbeak, hanging out with Steve and Bobby in the starship hangar and visiting the medbay. Flying to practice, starships to see, events to plan. It was only August the 5th and it already seemed like most of the month was going to be busy.

 

 

**...**

 

 

Y/n flew high, high above some intimidating-looking storm-clouds. It was fascinating to see lightning flash in their darkness and it also served as a good reminder to Y/n that one should be careful when choosing where to fly. Even cybertronians - massive and powerful as they were – preferred not to fly through thunderclouds if Steelstrike was to be believed. If anything, it was _because_ they were so massive and also made of metal that made flying through thunderclouds a bad idea. While a strike of lightning probably wouldn’t be fatal, it certainly would cause injuries to most. Most. Megatron, for example, wouldn’t be too bothered by a lightning strike – his altmode was heavily armoured and his frame was able to withstand a strike of lightning with (probably) only minor injuries like small circuits burning out, armor burns and frame aches later. On the opposite end was Starscream who, being a light-framed seeker, would be much more affected by a lightning strike to his altmode. Then again, being an Air Commander, the silver mech knew full well not to fly through thunderclouds and – when he absolutely had to – knew how to do so to minimize the risk.

 

Gee, sure would be interesting to listen about all these seeker insights. If Starscream wasn’t such a pain to talk to, that is.

 

As she looked over the dark, almost purple clouds that had giant white flashes appearing inside them occasionally, Y/n continued her conversation with the deployer who flew next to her:

“I know, I know, but what would _you_ like to see? After all, you and I – we have a pretty unique point of view due to usually staying near the ceiling.”

There was thoughtful whirring on the other end of the comm line as Laserbeak though over her question. Finally, she got a response in a form of several links to pictures being sent to her. Opening them up, the young woman looked over everything with curiosity, trying to get a feel of what her smallest cybertronian friend meant.

“I think I understand,” she said, her gaze shifting to look at the deployer, “If you think of anything else, don’t be shy to tell me. Also, I would be _reaaaally_ grateful if you shared some insights on what Soundwave would like~”

Seeing Laserbeak’s purple visor flash in acknowledgement, Y/n smiled.

“Thanks. Now, it’s your turn for suggesting an addition to our little ‘Upbeat Flight Music’ playlist.”

Immediately, she heard music playing over their comm link – an Earth pop song no less. Laserbeak then flew faster, spinning as he did and the young woman followed suit, flying after his dark six-winged frame eagerly as music blasted inside her helmet.

 

 

**…**

 

 

 

“I mean…highgrade?”

“Bobby, for the love of Primus, do _not_ ruin this by getting drunk,” Steve (presumably) scowled as he slapped the other mech on the shoulder armor, the latter voicing an ‘Ow’ despite clearly not being hurt.

“I’m with Steve. I’ve had to spend _a while_  persuading Lord Megatron to let me do this. Besides, Decepticons don’t get drunk - they get ‘inebriated within regulation-allowed parameters’,” Y/n chuckled as she crossed her arms, looking at the maintenance mech from her perch on the wing of one of the starships.

The Nemesis was a giant warship that housed several much smaller starships that could be used as interstellar vessels…for aliens who could turn into vehicles…however strange that sounded. There were about a dozen of different-sized starships currently stored in the hangar in a very orderly fashion, though Y/n already knew that a few special ones were stored separately.

 

Like Starscream’s private starship, for example – an objectively gorgeous, sleek vessel made of silvery-grey metal, the red and purple accents being few and far between but undoubtedly adding to the beauty of it. It looked like someone combined the best aspects of a cybertronian jet with those of an Earth jet and then sprinkled some seeker aesthetic to complete the picture. Y/n saw the small, one-mech starship through an observation window as they walked down the hall and towards the main hangar. Bobby helpfully informed her that the Air Commander’s starship was called ‘Empirion’ (because of course it was) and that – while beautiful – ‘she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon’. Apparently, Megatron had a few vital components of its engine and on-board computer stored separately ever since the seeker brought the Empirion aboard. Y/n was pretty sure that it was so that Starscream knew that he couldn’t just easily escape to another star system if he caused trouble. Considering that all the other starships required authorisation and confirmation before one could fly in them, plus that they could be easily tracked, the seeker was as stuck on the Nemesis as anyone else. Unless he wanted to risk it and fly around in his altmode in space for an unknown amount of time, that is. And while the girl was fairly sure that – if faced with a subordinate like Starscream – she would probably do something similar, the young woman still felt sad for the starship somehow.

Behind the observation windows of another hangar stood a dark, intimidating ship – and it was much larger than Starscream’s single-bot vessel. ‘Thanatos’ was the name of the vessel that Megatron sometimes used when he left the Nemesis to travel far away from the Nemesis and for prolonged periods of time. It borrowed heavily from the Nemesis in its design, but was of course smaller, more aerodynamic and its dark metal had more of a purple hue to it than the Nemesis. While every other starship was kept in top condition, Thanatos received special attention and was also used more frequently than the others. The starship could house about 50 bots, but Y/n knew from her talks with the warlord that he often took what could almost be considered a skeleton crew with him – after all, with the Decepticon leader on board they already had significant firepower, and the steel-coloured mech preferred there to be more space for whatever he could find if his travels proved successful. Thanatos possessed the best of everything the Decepticon army had – the best offensive and defensive upgrades, the best engines, an on-board groundbridge gate. Then again, it was the starship _Megatron_ used to travel – no surprise there. She also knew the interior of the ship – the steel-coloured mech had shown her once. Unsurprisingly, much like on the Nemesis, the ‘captain’s seat’ of Thanatos was actually a throne.

She also caught a glimpse of the starship Knockout and Breakdown arrived to the Nemesis on – it was a vessel by the name of ‘Thunder Arrow’. It had a very different design to the other starships – its edges were more rounded and its colors were primarily light-grey and dark blue. This starship she also already knew from the inside – Breakdown once gave her a tour, telling her how ‘fun’ it was to await confirmation and permission to dock when a giant dark flying fortress is menacingly looming over you. Indeed, while bigger than Starscream’s vessel, Thunder Arrow was still a shuttle that was meant for maybe six average-sized cybertronians tops. And if Y/n didn’t quite know how good the Empirion was weapon-wise (but it had to be good, considering it was Starscream’s), on Knockout’s and Breakdown’s starship she was shown all the different cannons and turrets that the duo used to keep themselves safe, as well as the ion boosters that gave them a good chance of being able to outrun whatever they didn’t want to fight at that moment. If the thing following them wasn’t the Empirion, of course.

 

The area where she was currently in with Bob and Steve was enormous. Y/n was used to the Nemesis usually having a set height to its ceilings, but that was because there was more than one deck on the warship. Here, the ceiling seemed to go on upward endlessly and there was enough space from wall to wall to spread out a quite few football fields. Aside from that, however, the place was in standard Nemesis design – dark grey metal everywhere, purple and red lights here and there, purple holoscreens with red glyphs at the terminals, Vehicons going about their jobs. Or arguing instead of doing their jobs.

“And I’m telling you enjex is better warm-“

“You are a slaggin’ pervert, it’s meant to be ingested cold!”

“Guys, you do know that if Soundwave hears of you not doing your tasks right now, it’ll somehow result in ‘Oh the human is too much of a distraction’ and no one will ever let me in here again,” the girl stated, looking over both her friends with sad puppy-eyes, “And I like it here, I haven’t even seen all the ships yet.”

That was blatant lie. If anything, the two blabbermouths would get reprimanded by their superiors – Y/n herself was safe. But she wasn’t in the mood to tell the two mech to shut up and do their jobs, so she decided to go a more diplomatic route. It seemed to work because the Vehicons shared a look and returned to opening crates and extracting cubes filled with a dark-blue liquid inside. As far as the young woman understood, it was a sort of chemical that kept the fuel reactors of interstellar vessels in top condition during prolonged periods of not being used. And when cybertronians used the term ‘prolonged’, it meant that Megatron hadn’t deployed these in a long, _long_ while. Then again, she hoped it would stay that way while the Nemesis was on Earth – maybe the Nemesis had powerful enough cloaking tech and Soundwave to tamper with satellites/sonars/whatever else, but several giant flying alien vessels would _definitely_ get noticed. That’s why Megatron didn’t use them on Earth, after all – much as you don’t use tanks to hunt rabbits, there was no use to waste resources and risk getting spotted by using starships to hunt an enemy who could just hop into a groundbridge immediately.

The interstellar vessels in the hangar were mostly in the sizes of the Thunder Arrow or bigger, their design similar to that of the Nemesis, much like in the case of Thanatos. Sharp angles, grey, dark grey or black metal. Leaving her friends to work, the young woman flew around for a while, looking over all of the ships. It was mostly empty between the starships – almost everyone was near the terminals, running diagnostics or busy with other tasks. The occasional Vehicon would glance upward in surprise upon hearing the quiet clicking sound of the heels of her boots hitting the metal of the craft she was currently walking on, but other than that she could explore in peace. One particular starship caught her eye. It was the very last one she came across, standing somewhat to the side of the others. It wasn’t the biggest one in the hangar; Y/n estimated that it could maybe hold about thirty mechs. Sleek and pointy like the others, this one was probably the brightest one of them, the color of its metal similar to that of Megatron’s. Interestingly, it resembled a particular model of a single-bot vessel. Y/n remembered that Megatron had once shown her a similar, but much smaller starship one evening when he was telling her about interstellar travel. Asking the closest mech around what its name was, she received a reply that it didn’t have one. Huh?

“Oh that’s ship of a new but real short-lived series,” Bobby helpfully offered once she returned to her friends, “There were a couple of those made right before we left Cybertron, and we found this one drifting through space about eeh…fifty vorns ago? Anyway, the guys tried to whip it into shape - we even installed some new cool weapons onto it-”

“She asked why it didn’t have a name, glossaflapper,” Steve smirked and Y/n chidingly slapped him on the shoulder with the holomatter part of her right wing.

“Steve, be nice. I’m curious about where it came from, too.”

“Ha, in your faceplate,” Bobby gloated as he crossed his arms and looked in the direction of the starship in question, “Well, as far as I’ve heard, it once belonged to an officer who switched sides and so Lord Megatron told us to remove the designation given to the ship by him. The serial number is D-R147-A3, though.”

Y/n nodded. Huh, so that’s how it was. Interesting little story. She spent a little more time in the hangar before sending Steve and Bob to go have their Energon rations and flying to the medbay herself.

 

 

**…**

 

 

 

“Ouch,” Y/n said quietly in a tone that wasn’t so much pained as it was annoyed. She was currently wearing something that resembled a bastard child of a scuba diving suit and a bad female Master Chief cosplay – a prototype of whatever flying suit Knockout had in mind for her. Knockout himself – in his human-looking holomatter avatar no less - had been tightening and relaxing the straps and locks on it for over an hour now while a human-looking Breakdown took notes.

“Oh excuse me, my queen, is all my hard work annoying you?” the doctor/hobbyist inventor shot her a sharp look and the young woman sighed, shaking her head apologetically.

“Sorry, sorry. I do appreciate it, really,” she assured sincerely and that seemed to leave the medic satisfied as the gaze of his cognac-coloured eyes softened and a smirk appeared on his lips.

“Not much longer, doll. You’ve been very patient, you’re gonna get a nice well-fitting suit for that. I may even listen to your input on its design.”

 _“May,”_ Y/n smirked as well, rolling her eyes jokingly.

“Believe me, bots rarely get the privilege,” the light caramel-skinned man assured with a chuckle, making Knockout turn around and look at him with a confident quirk of an eyebrow.

“That’s because I know best, some mechs and femmes just don’t have the sense of style to see that. But Y/n has her own…’Y/n’ style, so I want to see how she goes about this. With the help of my expert advice, of course~”

“Where would I be without you, Knockout,” Y/n chuckled, obediently raising he right arm when prompted by the auburn-haired man, “Speaking of advice, continuing the topic of decorations and activities…”

“I still say we should go for a flashier vibe,” the doctor said thoughtfully while removing the imitation of armor from the suit and gently squeezing her upper arm through it, “Is this too thick of a layer for flying or too thin?

“I could agree on it being about two millimetres thinner on the arms, it’s an inner layer after all,” the girl nodded then looked over at the doctor’s assistant, “Breakdown?”

“Iii dunno. I’d actually like it if there was more familiar stuff, like a ‘Maccadam’s’-style thing... It’s not like I want for it to be less celebratory, just- y’know, familiar. Homey, I guess,” the man tried to explain, his large hand running through his ash blond hair and his amber eyes becoming thoughtful and a little nostalgic.

“Yeah, thing is, making any part of the Nemesis _homey_ is one heck of a tall order,” Knockout said, then sighed with an uncharacteristically soft little half-smile playing on his lips for a moment, “It’s a great concept, though. I’d like to see that, but I doubt it can be achieved. Not with the limited resources we have.”

“Yeah…Still, I’m still amazed Megatron let you do it at all,” the larger man agreed, looking at Y/n while typing in stuff into the tablet in his hands, “I mean, yeah, I guess three officers supporting the idea helped, but still.”

“It…wasn’t easy,” Y/n said with a sigh, her words heavy with sincerity. The Nemesis already had designated places for the crew to spend their downtime, anything more was considered a luxury. Megatron wasn’t at all a fan of his officers having distractions, especially not when the Autobots were in such close proximity. Y/n herself wasn’t completely sure if it was a good idea, but the memories of her friends’ enthusiasm once they first heard of the idea was what made her want to go through with it. To debate with Megatron over the course of several evenings, to convince him to at least look the other way if he didn’t want to take part in it. Human armies always had performers visit and books/comics delivered to keep morale up and let the soldiers have at least a bit of normalcy during wartime, so maybe it wasn’t too much of a bad idea to do the same for the crew of the Nemesis. Even if only her friends ended up enjoying the idea, it would still be worth the effort. Besides, she could always escape to somewhere on Earth for a week or two if she ended up embarrassing herself with this…initiative. Y/n wasn’t usually much of an enterprising type, not on a large scale like this at least, so she was feeling like she was crawling a little too far out of her comfy shell right now. But it was easier to think of the whole idea as a ‘little something for friends’. And Megatron, should he decide to check it out when the time comes.

“Well, whatever sweet-talk you used, let’s make it count, then. Who knows if Big M will ever give us another chance like this,” Knockout said, his expression telling Y/n that he had many ideas to share. The young woman chuckled, then held her breath when the man tightened her breastplate too much. Seeing that, Knockout smirked and adjusted the straps until she could breathe again.

“You did that on purpose,” she chided with a knowing smile and the doctor’s expression changed to that of dramatic shock.

“Me? Why, I would never! Look at these eyes, would they lie?~”

When Knockout looked into her eyes, all smooth and sexy, Y/n’s face stayed jokingly sceptical. When he wiggled his eyebrows, however, the young woman couldn’t help but burst into giggles. Satisfied, the man smiled a cocky smile and crossed his arms.

“Okay, you two, I think I have all I need _for now._ Let’s discuss how we can try and make a corner of this gloomy cold ship homey _and_ fabulous-looking...”

 

 

*******

 

On the 6th of August, Y/n found herself in one of the Nemesis’s empty starship hangars. It was meant for a smaller vessel, maybe about the size of Starscream’s Empirion, but that still meant that it was a big, big room. A big empty room, save for the necessary starship-maintenance equipment. The young woman flew from corner to corner, inspecting everything and coming up with ideas as to what could go where. In the end, she ended up hovering by the entrance, bringing up a purple half-translucent holo-display in front of herself and sketching out a few ideas, using the tip of her index finger to paint over an image of the room.

The 7th was spent wondering about the necessary materials – talking to Neil about what he could bring up from the mines, looking around the internet for things and asking Steve and company if there was anything they’d like to add. Metals, she needed metals. Different kinds - ideally from Earth, Cybertron and anywhere else. Raw or shaped into things.  Steve promised to whisper into troops’ audials and Knockout promised to lend her something that would help closer to the event. Kody, who had a collection of rocks from different planets, also had a few chosen metals he was ready to share for this occasion.

The next several days were spent getting the necessary things and having Steve or whoever happened to be free that day move those things to the empty starship hangar. A couple of times Y/n found stuff under her door – metal trinkets or crafts or just raw pieces of ore, sometimes labelled with whose it was, sometimes not. Apparently, someone actually was interested in what Steve was saying. Regardless of what it was, the young woman now had to think of ways how to incorporate it into the whole composition. It was a good kind of task, though, because it meant that mechs were interested in the idea.

 

 

*******

 

 

On the 12th of August, she decided to take a break. Or, rather, Knockout and Breakdown decided for her. Y/n didn’t protest, though. It was good to get a breath of fresh air.

 

 

_Especially if it was at a dirt race in a forest in Poland!_

 

 

“Yahooo!!” Y/n threw her hands up in the air as Breakdown drove up another hill, launching in the air and landing in yet another large puddle, sending dirt and water flying everywhere. Laughing, the young woman grabbed onto the wheel of the large blue truck – for her own balance’s sake, of course, the ‘truck’ could drive itself perfectly well after all.

“Ya up for covering that last guy in some thick layer of mud?” the mech asked, the yellow lights of his dashboard blinking at her, and chuckling as she gave him a grin, “Okay then, hold on!”

Engine revving, huge tires easily driving over bumps and holes of the dirt road and Limp Bizkit’s _Rollin’_ blasting in the cabin, they quickly gained on the last car that remained in front of them and passed it just as they’ve reached a turn, sending a black and brown wave of earth and clay flying at it. Just as they began to laugh, they reached a wooden ramp that – of course – they couldn’t ignore. Driving over and from it, both Y/n and Breakdown let out a joyful laugh before landing back onto the road with such force that it threw the girl’s whole body forward, her seatbelt beating the air out of her chest.

“Heh, you okay there?” the blue bruiser asked as they drove down a hill and the young woman patted him on the dashboard reassuringly.

“I’m great! Fasteeer!”

“Heheh, did you mean to say, _keep rollin’_?”

“….Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’, indeed!”

 

 

**…**

 

 

 

Knockout’s optic ridge twitched.

“I can’t believe you two,” he said, looking over both the young woman and his partner with an expression that was less than enthusiastic. A very dirty Breakdown was currently holding Y/n in his servos, the girl’s clothes also dirtied by mud and pine needles and leaves. Knockout facepalmed, took a deep breath then parted and looked through his digits, red optics disapproving.

“Breakdown I can understand, but how did _you_ manage to get all that filth on yourself, _you were in a car!”_

“I may or may not have participated in some shenanigans with the folks after the race,” Y/n replied innocently.

“…Shenanigans?”

“She spotted some long-haired guys in black rocking out to tracks of humans screeching and ran towards them. I think the exact phrase was: ‘Hey wow I’ve been listening to that band since I was fourteen!”

“Listen. I may be your familiar boring Y/n most of the time, but there’s nothing shameful about letting out your inner metalhead sometimes. Nothing at all. Especially when someone puts on a song you’ve loved since grade seven,” the young woman chuckled, crossing her arms, “So yeah, as I’ve said. May or may not have run through mud and danced in the forest a bit. May or may not have arm wrestled a few guys on Breakdown’s dirty hood. Maybe got caught in the rain a bit.”

The look on the Decepticon chief medical officer’s faceplate as he looked her and Breakdown over was priceless. Part disgust and part incomprehension - the cherry red mech was really fun to look at now. Finally, though, he seemed to just accept things as they were as he raised his servos and shook his helm with a sigh.

 

“As long as you two had fun, I guess. But don’t you dare come near me before you decontaminate yourselves.”

“Aaw, no hug?” Y/n inquired with a smirk to which the medic quickly switched out his right servo with a circular saw.

“You get a step closer and I _will_ hurt you.”

Both the larger mech and the girl laughed at that, prompting Knockout himself to chuckle and put away his weapon.

“Now go on, you two. Y/n, I won’t let you step a foot inside my altmode until you take a bath. Better yet, a three-hour-long one.”

“Got it, got it,” the young woman chuckled as Breakdown began moving towards the exit of his and Knockout’s shared hab suite, “Will do, promise.”

“And remember, color coordination. Wear something red,” the medic reminded slyly as he watched them go.

“Yep.”

“Preferably sexy.”

“Mhmm.”

“Maybe one of those crop tops? Mini shorts?”

“Knockout.”

“What?”

“No.”

“Oh _fine._ ”

 

 

...

 

 

 

The very outskirts of Los Angeles had a wonderful view of the night sky, nice roads and – unsurprisingly – a lot of rich people who liked to live dangerously and make it rain cash. Y/n didn’t really need the money – or, more accurately, she could get money way easier and without having to step foot outside of the Nemesis. But this was her and Knockout’s little hobby. She got to dress pretty, Knockout got to look pretty _and_ show off, and they both got to have fun driving fast and making fun of people.

Sometimes, however, there would be someone who would catch Y/n’s eye. Someone who would make her sigh in frustration and make a decision to step out of the car. Tonight she ran into one of those people. _Oh joy._ Picking out the perfect form-fitting mid-thigh high black dress, finding her favourite dark red leather jacket and matching heeled sandals, the platinum accessories, the black leather gloves, the perfect perfume…and _these_ people had to go and try spoil her night out. There he is, standing maybe 7 meters away from Knockout, swaying slightly and laughing loudly, his somewhat unfocused gaze sticking to the girls in his group.

 

“You don’t have to, you know~” Knockout reminded, obviously amused, as she opened the driver’s door. She only sighed and made sure her mask was securely fastened before getting out of the comfortably dark interior of her friend's altmode. The setting was certainly unique – a dark August night, the stars shining, the dull view of the scarce vegetation and sand along the road now made mysterious by the darkness. The same darkness that was kept at bay here, at this old abandoned gas station, by the headlights of dozens of expensive cars. Some of these cars would take part in the race tonight; some were just here for their owners to show off. The quiet, steady purr of these vehicles almost sounded like dozens of giant mechanical cats purring while napping – at least, that’s how Y/n imagined it would sound like. Those weren’t the only sounds here, though. Music was playing – something that was popular in LA’s top nightclubs right now probably, Y/n wasn’t an expert on that. People were chatting – bragging, discussing, gossiping, laughing and arguing and goading each other on. A few scattered groups of people, usually standing near someone’s car.

And to one of these groups she made her way to. She didn’t need to do much, really. While others also noticed her approach, the young man that interested her was inebriated enough to be… _pushy_ about wanting to chat with her. The look he gave her – her whole body – it made her very aware that she could easily slap him so hard it would turn his head 180 degreed and snap his neck. Y/n was used to appraising or lustful looks of strangers by now, it didn’t get under her skin. Still, it was therapeutic to imagine the guy’s head making a few turns after a good smack. She inquired about whose black jeep it was that stood to the side, even though she already knew the answer – it was that guy’s friend’s. Josh himself – and the young man’s name was Josh – was a proud owner of the yellow Lamborghini the group was currently standing next to. Pretty car. Would be a shame to see it crash tonight.

To say that Josh was enthusiastic to show her the jeep would be an understatement. Scrunching her nose under her mask not only because her keen sense of smell was not appreciative of the strong smell of alcohol, but also because of the guy’s flirtatious hints, Y/n talked to him in a friendly voice right until she finally got him away from the public’s eye.

 

“So, this is your friend’s jeep?” the young woman asked as she walked behind the big black vehicle, it obscuring both her and the man following her from view. Hearing a smug chuckle, she turned around, not surprised at all when she saw him standing right in front of her now. She let him come that close, after all.

“Yeah. But I can still show it to you. Look, those are wheels, these are the windows, heheh.”

“Impressive,” she said flatly, dropping all pretence of friendliness but still keeping her tone that of cool politeness, “Joshua, would you like to tell me how much you’ve been drinking today?”

“Don’t call me Joshua, my mom calls me that,” the young man said with a scowl before dismissively shrugging, “A bit. Don’t worry your pretty little head about that. In fact, why don’t you get that mask off and let me see dat face?”

“Don’t think so,” Y/n sighed, looking up at the tall, muscular guy with disinterest.

“What’s your problem?!” Josh asked, beginning to suddenly sound aggressive as he started to realise that she wasn’t here to flirt with him.

“My _problem_ right now is you being drunk,” the girl stated simply, shifting her weight to her right leg, “That means problems for everyone. Friendly advice: drop out of the race, go home. Get some sleep.”

Josh took a moment to process wat she said before his face became red right up to his ears and his hands balled into fists, his speech ever so slightly slurring as he began talking to her in an even angrier voice:

“Well look at the spoiled rich chick being all high and mighty. You don’t know me, hear me? You don’t know me! Now take off that stupid mask so I can look at that lippy face of yours-”

His hand reached out, but she was faster. Way, way faster. Stronger, too. The guy’s eyes widened as he found himself being lifted by the collar of his black Gucci shirt, staring into the darkness of the white and red mask’s eyeholes.

“Wh-ha-?!”

“Now, this is what is going to happen,” the young woman said, her voice steady as she began dialling up her proxy ability to intimidate other organics, “You are going to ask your friend to take you home and you are going to _never_ _again_ sit behind the wheel while drunk.”

 She saw fear quickly fill Josh’s eyes and so she let his feet touch the ground, still holding him by the collar.

“Repeat,” she ordered quietly.

“I- Whatthe-“

 

She still needed some practice on humans, she guessed. Okay then, dial it up a notch _more._

 

Y/n felt the young man trying to yank himself free instinctively, then saw him freeze, cold sweat beginning to shine on his neck and forehead as his breathing quickened and his eyes were now looking at her like he was a deer in a car’s headlights.

“I’m waiting,” she reminded, deciding to mess with the guy just a bit more. As Josh saw bright blue eyes light up unnaturally in the darkness of the mask’s eyeholes, his whole body trembled and he started talking so quickly it was barely understandable:

“Oka-okayokay, never, I get it just please let me go letmego! I’m gonna go now, I’ll never again I'll-okayIjustI’msorry i-I-I Okay I-just-Whoah!”

 _Smack._ That was Josh falling on his ass because Y/n had let go of his shirt, and his own balance and eagerness to get away had betrayed him. The young woman hadn’t planned on it - it was a little more humiliation than she was aiming for, she thought as she watched the young man crawl back with his fearful eyes still locked on her. Oh well.

“I will find you and I _will_ burn you inside of your own car if you ever do this again,” she lied quietly, letting the influence she had over him flare like a momentary flash, causing the guy to freeze for a second as if petrified and then scream, scramble to his feet and run off in a panic. Sighing to herself, the young woman switched to being ‘invisible’ to the people around her and quickly moved to where she spotted this group’s bookkeeper being. She’s seen Harry once or twice before and - while she didn’t have any strong feelings towards him one way or the other - he was a good person for the role he currently occupied. Especially since he tried to both keep the participants in line and gain Y/n’s favour. He wasn’t too successful in either, but he tried. Good on you, Harry.

 

“I think your friend Josh is not feeling well,” Y/n said casually as she came up to the young man, smiling to herself as she saw his whole body twitch in surprise.

“Oh- _Heeey,_ Knockout,” he said, smoothing out his voice and giving her a charming smile that reminded her a little bit of how her childhood friend Arthur smiled when he picked up girls. Arthur was way better at it, though. Still, nice smile, “What did you say? Josh causing trouble?”

The young man looked over the crowd to find Josh and he sure did, the yellow Lamborghini’s owner literally pushing one of his friends into the black jeep in a hurry. Confused, the bookie looked back at Y/n.

“What the hell?”

The young woman shrugged, crossing her arms, her glove-covered fingertips rubbing the red leather of her jacket as she sighed with just a small little note of nervousness. Just enough to imitate genuine worry.

“I don’t know. I went to look over the jeep and he wanted to show it to me. Then he got weird. Freaked out, started mumbling something. I walked off. Now look at him.”

“Shit,” Harry hissed, rubbing his temple nervously as the jeep drove off, “You, eh, okay? He didn’t hurt you, right?”

“No, he didn’t, thank you,” Y/n said and this time the appreciation in her voice was genuine. It was nice of Harry to ask, after all, “In any case, I guess it’s a good thing he’s not driving while...Drunk? High? Whatever the state he is in is called.”

“Freakin’ damn it…I mean, yeah? I guess it’s a good thing he won’t be able to do anything stupid on the road tonight. He left his car behind, though! _And_ his thousand bucks. And what do ** _I_** do now? Hnnngh,” the young man facepalmed, dragging his palm over his face in exasperation and then gesturing with his open palm to her as if waiting for her to put the solution straight into his hand. Well, he was fortunate.

“I have every confidence in you,” Y/n assured calmly as she placed some keys into his palm, the keyring that kept them together having a logo of a golden bull on it. Before Harry got to ask anything, the young woman winked at him and started walking off to her car. Whether he decided to take a ride in the Lamborghini to deliver his friend’s car to him or decided to leave the car here was up to Harry now.

 

“You softie,” Knockout chuckled as soon as the young woman closed the driver’s door.

Y/n sighed, leaning back into the chair and relishing the comforting darkness inside the car and the glow of familiar red lights adorning the interior. Interactions with unpleasant humans were so damn tiring. At this point, she’d almost take dealing with Starscream instead. Almost.

“Sof-tie~” the cherry-coloured Aston Martin teased her, the red biolights on his steering wheel and dashboard lighting up with every syllable.

“Well I don’t know about you, but it would’ve ruined the fun for me if he crashed into someone because he was drunk,” Y/n reasoned, rolling her eyes and smirking as she crossed her arms. Usually the ‘prestige’ kinds of street races Knockout took her to had people who were invested in showing off both their cars and their skills – and that included not ruining their chances by getting drunk. There were exceptions sometimes, of course. Like tonight. Sometimes the group would boot idiots like that out of the race, sometimes they’d look the other way, sometimes the bookie would be too busy to notice. Again, like tonight.

“Nope, wouldn’t have made any difference to me really,” Knockout stated simply, “You just _caaare_ for the stupid little humans. Y/n’s so nice, it’s adorable.”

“You're giving me too much credit. I’m doing it because it’s a stupid reason for a bunch of people to potentially get hurt. Sure, drive into a lamppost while racing, total your car, kill yourself even – but at least make the decision to drive dangerously while you’re damn sober and have all your faculties about you,” the young woman shrugged as she looked over the other racers who were starting to return to their cars.

“I get it, doll,” the medic chuckled, “You do you. I don’t care for the humans either way, so you do whatever you need to to be able to enjoy the ride.”

“Easy to enjoy it when you make it so fun as soon as those chequered flags come down.”

“Oh you always know just what to say~ Now, strap in, it’s time to awe and embarrass some humans!”

 

 

**…**

 

 

 

“And we drove to the Santa Monica pier and I took pictures of Knockout-“

“Oh, _oh,_ show him the one where there were fireworks and it reflected off my finish!”

“A seeec- Here! These five! So here’s Knockout with the fireworks, here’s Knockout and the fireworks from a different angle, oh – don’t mind that, that’s a stupid selfie of me on Knockout’s hood-“

“Heyhe _hey, doll,_ lemme see! That’s a good one! Breakdown, don't we look fabulous?”

 

Breakdown looked over Knockout and Y/n - the two having just come back after their late outing, all excited and with stories to tell – and gave them his signature wide grin.

“Yep, the two of ya sure look good.”

“See? You can trust Breakdown, the mech is honest to a fault,” the cherry red mech said smoothly, his dainty digit lightly poking Y/n’s side as the young woman chuckled, her e/c eyes bright.

“Ahah, well thank you, thank you,” she nodded, looking over both mechs and Breakdown felt a tightness in his spark chamber, a heaviness on his spark that appeared sometimes when he remembered that he ought to be more truthful with her. Human or not, he came to see a friend in her. Soon, after stories were told and photos shown, the young woman departed, leaving the red and blue mechs alone in their hab suite.

 

“You’re thinking about it again,” Knockout said with a sigh as he crossed his arms and his legs while leaning against a wall. To that, the blue bruiser sat down on the berth with a heavy sigh of his own, looking down at the floor for a moment before letting his yellow optics rest on Knockout. Things always felt better when he could look at Knockout, and not just because his partner was the prettiest mech ever, but because Breakdown knew that he also had the most beautiful spark of them all. Even if the doctor sometimes could be a bit too sly for his own good and got caught up in the games of intrigue and manipulation that were commonplace on the Nemesis.

“Well shouldn’t we?” he asked, “You do consider her your friend, don’t you?”

“I do. Even though I never expected it to end up like this,” Knockout replied, leaning into the wall more and pursing his dermas, “It was supposed to be a little bit of novel fun, and look at us now.”

“I mean, I don’t regret it. If you do yo-“

“ _I don’t_. Not what I meant, sweetspark,” the doctor hurried to assure with a wave his servo, his voice thoughtful, “It’s just… _problematic._ We tell her, she goes asking questions to Megatron…”

“Well, we’ll ask her _not_ to go asking questions to Megatron.”

“…She’ll start asking herself questions as to _why_ she can’t ask Megatron questions…Damn, for a military strategist like him, I thought he wouldn’t be into building houses made of holocards,” the cherry red mech shook his helm, rolling his optics and then looking to the side. Both of them stayed silent for a moment before Breakdown spoke again:

“We already agreed on telling her the whole truth in case Megatron decides to try and take Y/n with us to space. So either we tell her or she somehow finds out herself at some point...”

“But, before that happens, I guess we should at least uncover our own stories, huh?” the chief medical officer of the Nemesis continued the thought, though not enthusiastically so, “I get what you’re saying. Doesn’t make it any easier. Or less dangerous in case Megatron finds out. You know how he is when someone disobeys him.”

“Pretty sure Y/n won’t tell him, even if she’ll be angry at us for not telling her this stuff earlier.”

“Breakdown, disregarding your tendency to go off hunting wreckers, you’re basically an exemplary soldier,” Knockout chuckled, shrugging as he looked at his partner with a sort of confidently amused smile that Breakdown knew to be his go-to defensive mechanism, “You’re marvellous at what you do, of course, but you do your killing on the battlefield. Me? I kept my, ‘ _clients’_ strapped the operating table for cycles for interrogation purposes. I also performed some pretty shady experimental upgrades many mechs and femmes wouldn’t thank me for if they ever saw me again – I mean sure, materials were scarce and the price I requested was laughable because I needed _some_ kind of practice, but I doubt Y/n would see it like that.”

Breakdown nodded, understanding flashing in his yellow optics and gentle kind of smile appearing on his face.

“I get it. I’m worried she’ll decide not to hang out with us anymore too. Come ‘ere,” the blue mech said, gesturing for the medic to come over and sit beside him. Pushing himself off the wall, Knockout made his way towards his assistant, sitting down on the berth and leaning into the larger, warmer frame as Breakdown put an arm around his shoulders.

“It’s silly, huh?” the doctor said, chuckling breathily and almost condescendingly, “Worrying about _a human?_ How long have known her for? Less than a meta-cycle? I mean, it shouldn’t matter either way, right? Such a hassle.”

“You can take that act and put away for now. Try pulling it on someone who doesn’t know you as well as I do, like Commander Scandalist,” the larger mech said with a smile, his large blunt fingers slowly and carefully massaging a spot between his sparkmate’s shoulder plates.

“Heh.”

There was a moment of silence as the cherry red mech sat there with a half-smile on his white faceplate until it finally faded into a neutral expression, his shoulders relaxing, his optics becoming thoughtful. Leaning forward, Knockout placed his elbows on his knees, sighed and smirked faintly.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Empirion is originally a Decepticon D.V.X.-class heavy transport in the IDW G1 continuity, but it's such a cool name I had to use it Somewhere in the story. Same goes for the Thanatos, that is also part of the IDW G1continuity. The Thunder Arrow appeared in G1 and a couple of comics canonically. Why do Decepticon ships have such cool names, ngghXD
> 
> The starship described as D-R147-A3- looks somewhat like Dreadwing's ship, but much larger. Here's a link to the artist who came up with the concept art for Dreadwing's ship in TFP - http://augustobarranco.blogspot.de/2013/08/dreadwings-ship.html


	52. Celebration Of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/n continues working on her project while finding time to take baths with the Decepticon lord and dealing with some surprising revelations from her friends. 
> 
> Megatron has a drop dead gorgeous back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by Megatron's back
> 
> http://drac-ooh.tumblr.com/post/39413150106/nice-tfp-designs-2-megatrons-back  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/bf3c6a95e2a93b0bad4f64d5c4994035/tumblr_inline_nk1jr0MyqH1r2bo8b.gif
> 
> and pedes
> 
> http://novolumecontrol-archived.tumblr.com/post/100488446401
> 
>  
> 
> Oh and the concept of Cybertronian celebrations and culture.

 

Time tended to go by in a hurry when one had a deadline approaching. Y/n had a whole week before the 20th of August arrived, but the days seemed to be disappearing quicker than a cube of sugar in a mug full of hot tea. The 13th of August was spent arranging the ceiling decorations and lighting and also hiding away little treats for Laserbeak to eventually find up there. The 14th was dedicated to getting the holographic projectors Soundwave had lent her to work properly and also managing the influx of things that kept appearing on her doorstep, courtesy of the Vehicons. Which brought with it the problem of needing more tables and/or shelves. Ugh. What was that painfully accurate expression she once heard somewhere? The initiative fucks the initiator? Sure was beginning to look that way. Still, among her ever increasing anxiety there was also a nice sort of feeling or working on something together with all of her friends on the Nemesis. Well, aside from Megatron. If the mere permission to do all this wasn’t counted in as his contribution, of course. And while the Decepticon lord’s general lack of enthusiasm wasn’t too helpful, he also didn’t try to discourage her after he had given her the go-ahead.

 

“I guess he hates the idea of his troops getting distracted? I’m kind of worried about it myself, to be honest. But it’s not like it’s going to be some grand thing, more of a..um…walk-in expo? Temporary place to hang out?” Y/n mused as she watched the hologram projectors work their magic on the ceiling and one of the walls.

 _“Don’t sweat it,”_ Knockout’s suave voice replied to her, the voice sounding somewhat strange coming from the Decepticon spymaster who was currently messing with the projectors, uploading the correct footage onto them and adjusting the angle of the projected images. Usually the high tech things didn't need much adjustment, but Soundwave wouldn't be Soundwave if he didn't try to do his task perfectly. To his reply the young woman chuckled, her nervousness lessening just a bit. After all, if Soundwave thought it wouldn’t do any harm, then it had to be so. Right?

“I tried talking to him about it, he mostly grumbles whenever the topic comes up. Do _you_ think it’s a bad idea?” Y/n sighed, petting Laserbeak’s wing when he moved it impatiently after being ignored for a while, the deployer having laid himself down next to her as the communications officer worked. Soundwave shrugged, his thin black digits working on the previously long-unused projector and his black mask reflecting the colourful images of the cities of Golden Age Cybertron that were now showing up on the wall in such incredible definition that one could see the beautiful engravings on the metal walls and doors of many buildings.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you with this stuff,” the young woman apologised. As she was about to change the subject, however, the slim-framed mech turned his helm to her, flashing a violet-and-red smiley face on his mask.

“You may. Speak freely - With me,” a sentence made of clips of the Decepticon lord’s voice reached her ears, making Y/n smile back and nod. The spymaster continued looking at her for a while after that, almost long enough for the young woman to ask about what was on his mind. Before she could, however, another recording was played for her. This time it was a Queen song:

“I'm gonna have myself a real good time~ So don't stop me now, don't stop me.”

The young woman gave a little laugh, cocking her head to the side.

“So you’re telling me you’re looking forward to it? I think you’re the only one who would be able to calmly say ‘Oh don’t worry about _Megatron,_ just have fun’ _,_ hah. But you’re his friend, you know him. So I’ll trust you on this.”

Soundwave remained silent and unmoving, the black reflective surface of his mask letting her look at the reflection of herself. Then, he displayed another smiley face and nodded before turning his attention back to the holomatter generators. Music started playing in the room - no doubt courtesy of the spymaster, he did tell her that he had quite a few tracks that were suitable for the event. With a thoughtful hum and a reassured smile, Y/n crossed her arms, her gaze directed to the wall where projections changed as the mech tested out and adjusted each one.

 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

“”Y/n?”

“Hmm?” the young woman hums questioningly as she comes out from her thoughts and looks up languidly at the mech while the door slides shut behind him.

 

They are in Megatron's personal washroom where it is very, very warm right now - courtesy of the giant-sized sunken bath that was filed with steaming hot oil. One could easily boil a human in there...or potentially get a warframe to relax. The latter is Y/n’s goal for this evening , the former - not so much. So the girl herself is currently lounging in one of the cubes of nice cool Energon that stand beside the bath, the glowing blue liquid coming up almost to her collarbone, legs crossed and her ankles resting on the upper edge of the container. An aesthetically pleasing sight for the mech, Y/n hopes. Judging by the look on the Decepticon lord’s face, it is. Very much so. As Megatron continues to look her over with a very satisfied look in his optics, the young woman clears her throat, chuckling quietly.

“I’ve consulted your Chief medical officer on what local oils would be suitable for cybertronians, so I guess this counts as an exotic spa of sorts?” She gestures with her hand unhurriedly, after that dipping her fingertips in Energon and dragging them over the substance’s surface. The liquid creates a slight, pleasing tingling sensation over her skin, almost like she was bathing in some kind of soda. This wasn’t the first time she took a dip in a cube, though, so both she and her lover weren’t concerned for her health.

“Exotic spa, you say? How thoughtful of you,” the steel-coloured mech muses as he starts to slowly walk up to the bath and looks over the steaming golden see-through liquid in it. Y/n has to throw back her head considerably to watch his...she would like to say she was looking at his face, but currently the sway of his hips and the overall fluent motion of his frame is what holds her attention. Every step the warlord takes sends powerful vibrations through the floor and to the very cube Y/n was sitting in, making the blue liquid ripple and her whole body feel the tremors, and as she looks over his frame everything looks so _perfect._ The way his cloven pedes hit the floor, the way his legs and leg armor move as he redistributes his weight at every step, his gait that’s so very...Megatron. She feels his optics on herself and raises her arm, putting her elbow onto the cube’s edge, making some Energon run down her arm and the outer side of her improvised bath as she supports her head with her hand and looks higher up with no hurry. Megatron is smirking and she offers him a smile of her own before slowly uncrossing and crossing her legs again to switch the leg that she currently has on top of the other.

 

“You getting in? Or are you in need of a formal invitation, Lord Megatron?”

A steel-coloured optic ridge is raised in amusement as the mech stops and stands right in front of the bath, the tips of his pedes barely touching the first step of the gigantic steps that lead down to the bath’s floor. Wordlessly, the mech slightly inclines his helm to the right and looks at her expectantly. The young woman gives him a joking look of ‘Seriously?’ as she raises an eyebrow as well, but then gives a little shrug of bare shoulders, putting the hand that was previously supporting her head onto her chest, her fingertips pressing to the wet skin under her collarbone.

 

“Oh Lord Megatron, mighty and fearless leader of the Decepticons, would Your Excellence- Oh just get into the bath, dear, oil’s getting cold,” she says lovingly as she smiles, waving her hand at the mech. That earns her an amused chuckle.

“There is a re-heating system installed, but I suppose I really should get in. Your invitation is very convincing, after all. Dear.”

 

He adds the last word as his smirk turns into what is more of a pleased smile and then proceeds to slowly lower himself into the bath. Y/n watches as, with each step down, the warlord’s frame gets lower and lower, gets more and more submerged in the oil until said oil comes up to his middle. The mech doesn’t seem affected at first as he moves through the hot dark-golden liquid, dipping the tips of his digits into it and bringing them up to his face to look at and smell with calm curiosity, his digits rubbing against each other as he does so. He comes up to the bath’s corner where the Energon cubes - including hers - are standing and Y/n gets to feast her eyes on the former gladiator’s back as he turns to sit down. Her gaze travels over his back, the layers of purple and grey metal, the biolights that adorn her lover’s frame over his shoulder blades, along his spinal strut and his sides. Those thin-lined biolights, they glow a wonderful subdued violet sometimes and sometimes, under the right light, they just look like simple engravings. A satisfied, playful smile tugs at the woman’s lips as she looks even lower, through the clear golden liquid. Megatron looks good from every angle, _everywhere._

As he lowers himself and sits back, and as the oil covers everything up to the base of his neck, she finally sees a reaction. The mech’s optics close, he slowly throws back his helm and gives a prolonged sigh, more of his shoulder armor submerging as his shoulders relax. She can’t help but smile at the sight. Both of them stay silent as the oil in the bath stills and Y/n can see the warlord's features begin to soften bit by bit. She could watch him like this forever, she thinks. She even knows that Megatron doesn’t mind the attention at all - if anything, he welcomes it.

 

For most of her life, Y/n was very aware that if she forgot herself sometimes, her gaze could become too prolonged, too curious, too analysing in her willingness to get a clear grasp of a person as quickly as possible or remember something about their appearance. Also, for most of her life she was able to keep it in check with wonderful effectiveness - the assessment of a person and their behaviour stayed, but no soul searching, face- and gesture-examining stares were given. A skill that allowed her to be considered not only an insightful, but also a pleasant conversation partner by many. An unnerving habit turned to a helpful skill. In a word, it was convenient. Megatron, however...he had a gaze that was the epitome of intense. His red optics usually assessed things and people with an intense stare, his displeasure was accompanied by intense glaring, the appreciative looks he gave her were always straightforward and his passion-filled gaze was almost frighteningly intense. Y/n loved all of it. She loved how she could just stare at him for however long she wanted, how he never seemed unnerved or annoyed when she would sometimes look him over attentively during conversations - heck, he did that as well, triply so! Sure, the young woman was perfectly aware how such looks could make other people uncomfortable, but - for them - no such problem existed. She sometimes wondered, however, how they looked like in those moments of mutual staring. Probably either really funny or really concerning. Ah, well. Every couple had their own thing - theirs happened to be staring, apparently.

 

Smiling to herself, the young woman turns her head and crosses her arms behind it. Leaning back and resting her head on her arms, Y/n follows her lover’s example and closes her eyes with a content sigh. It's hot in the room, but at least it isn’t too stuffy or unbearably heavy with the smell of oil thanks to the ventilation system.  The cool Energon lets her stay comfortable while the hot air warms her exposed skin – the perfect balance.

They enjoy their respective baths for quite a while, discussing how their day went and Y/n is surprised to find that Megatron actually seems to have warmed up to the plan that she had in store for the 20th. Whether he had a change of spark on his own or had a talk with Soundwave about it - that the young woman didn’t know, but the change was noticeable enough to bring her some joy. They also discuss books and Megatron shares with her a small titbit of previously unknown information – he mentions a work of fiction that he considers among his favourites but hadn’t told Y/n about before. It’s a detective story, no less. Of course, she’s very enthusiastic about reading it. He promises to send it to her once she’s finished with her current ‘project’. Megatron then looks over the empty cubes of Energon and Y/n sees a devilish smile appear on his face as he sits up, oil pouring off his shoulders and chassis in waterfalls. Before she can ask, a large servo reaches out and grabs the cube she’s sitting in, the other servo putting in a straw that the girl had brought as more of a joke.

“You’re really going to- Yep, I guess you are!” she laughs, gripping the sides of the cube as the mech lifts it and brings it to his neck- level.

“Is there a problem?” the Decepticon lord asks slyly and Y/n readjusts herself in the cube, smirking.

“None at all,” she replies as she raises her leg, dips the tip of her foot into the Energon and flips some of it his way, a portion of it managing to successfully land on his cheek and lips. The mech raises an optic ridge and she can’t help but grin, the grin changing into a _very_ satisfied smile as she sees him lick the drops off his lips. The warlord then takes the tip of the straw into his mouth and, a moment later, Y/n feels and sees the Energon drain from the cube, revealing more and more of her body to Megatron. The young woman crosses her legs again slowly as she looks up at her lover, amusement and a glint of lust in her eye. Once she’s completely exposed to his hungry gaze, the mech throws the straw to the side, making her chuckle.

“Mhmm, now what?” she teases, knowing that Megatron can’t exactly do much with her right now. The Decepticon lord has an idea, however, because he brings the cube closer to his face and gives one of her legs a slow lick, the large and hot grey glossa dragging along her Energon-covered skin. A soft ‘Oh’ escapes Y/n as she realises that there indeed _are_ things that Megatron could do to her. As crimson optics watch her reactions attentively, the young woman smiles and bites her lower lip in anticipation and arousal. That is all the mech needs to proceed.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

On the 15th of August, Y/n found herself walking around the Nemesis’s flight deck, the cold wind throwing her hair around violently. Her wings were folded as she walked and walked, from one side of the giant metal surface to the other. It was evening already and the sky was currently coloured in blues and violets after the sun had just set. The nice view went mostly unnoticed by Y/n, however.

 

About two hours ago, in the middle of what seemed like a normal conversation with Knockout in Breakdown in their hab suite, the two mechs had suddenly decided to unload some truth onto her. Or, well, it was sudden only for her – apparently the two had been planning on it for a while. The fact that Knockout and Breakdown had to do things the war required of them was something Y/n had known since the beginning. The facts that Knockout was fond of experimental procedures and upgrades and that Breakdown had a habit of jumping into battle were also known to her. And, while the young woman wasn’t naïve enough to think that they haven’t ever done anything dubious, even excluding the things they had to do for the war, what she heard was more than she expected to learn.

 

Apparently, the main reasons that swayed Knockout to eventually join the Decepticons were the freedom Decepticon command offered when conducting experiments and the fact that they were 'the winning side'. While pragmatic, that bit of information was easy for her to understand. It was what she heard next that made her question if she actually knew anything about someone she claimed was her friend.

Knockout didn’t choose a side in the war for a while. As a medic, he would have been an asset to either side and he knew it. Still, he didn’t want to be tied down. Like many back then, he thought that the war would be over soon anyway and he would much rather join the winning side after the dust settled. But the war continued and continued, entire cities were heavily damaged or even completely destroyed and both sides were growing more and more suspicious and intolerant towards those without an allegiance. Still, Knockout got by well enough, even when Altihex - the city he lived in, the city that never slept and was rich enough to maybe bribe its way to staying out of the war - became a battlefield. The war provided him with more patients than he could handle, so he had the luxury of choosing. Choosing those who could pay. Shanix - the last shanix some bots had – flowed into his account. Even if the currency could potentially become obsolete at some point, it provided Knockout with Energon, equipment, some considerable savings…and frame-care products – something he always had in abundance and wasn’t willing to part with even during the war. He was a promising - if not somewhat arrogant - young doctor before the war. He was used to looking good, spending nights in clubs, on racing tracks, at loud fun parties or in frame-care salons, not listening to bombs blow up and buildings crumble on the surface while hiding out in his subterranian makeshift clinic. And so he charged for his service and charged appropriately. Still, there were so many patients, so many who sought out a medic, often specifically one who wasn’t purely Autobot or Decepticon, so many left behind in warzones or having deserted from their faction after experiencing the horrors of war. Knockout had his servos full for quite a few centuries and, at some moment, the endless stream of patients got greyed out by his processor. Some cases stood out – either on an emotional or a scientific level. The latter dominated the former as the war dragged on, as both sides invented new ways to kill each other and the traditional medicinal practices weren’t cutting it anymore or were unavailable due to the lack of equipment or specialists.

Knockout found himself making deals with those of his potential patients who were short on shanix or didn't have any things or favours to barter with. Wartime offered the luxury of nobot having the time to concern themselves with medical malpractices or unapproved repair methods – and the latter was what Knockout was interested in getting more experience in, to improve upon said methods and better both his craft and his value as a medical specialist. So he would offer bots to fix them, but in ways he saw fit or with the addition of experimental upgrades. Essentially, they agreed to be his guinea pigs.  He tried to do his best with his patients, but sometimes risks had to be taken in the name of science or Knockout’s own curiosity. Some bots got off with damage the red mech could fix, some died on the operating table. The doctor didn’t like it one bit, but the previous dozens of centuries made him mostly numb to it. Number than he, perhaps, should have been. But back then the most important question for him was figuring out who the winning side would be, because it was finally time to choose 'an employer'. The phrase ‘I mean, they all agreed to it’ was uttered quite a lot. She could hear the nervousnesness in Knockout’s voice, but she didn’t care about it then.

Another thing Knockout mentioned to her was that – after Starscream, who would willingly choose the role – Knockout was Megatron’s pick for the task of torturing those rare Autobots that ended up as prisoners and not corpses. Of course, no better torturer than a medic, who knows every frame’s weak spots, every organ’s and circuit’s location, who could keep someone on the brink of death the longest. It made sense from a logical standpoint, but went completely against everything a medic _should_ be and _was_ in both human and cybertronian culture. Y/n wasn’t sure she was willing to blame either Megatron or Knockout for this, however – she desperately reminded herself that they’ve been at war for four million years - but it still shocked her to find out that her friend had tortured enemy soldiers. The notion that he didn’t get enjoyment out of the ‘messy affair’ that was prolonged, deliberate torture - at least of those who weren't his personal enemy and were still online and screaming - was probably an attempt to put himself a step above Starscream, but it wasn’t exactly hard to be above Starscream in Y/n’s book, so it didn’t have much effect on her.

 

Breakdown was far less dedicated to slipping in excuses and explanations into his confession. Then again, his story was much simpler.

He was a factory worker in a no-name industrial sector located in the Helex polity. He had a smaller frame back then, even though he had always dreamed of having a larger, more powerful one. He tried to convince himself that he would _eventually_ save up for an upgrading operation, but thousands of years of his low-caste life passed and the only thing he could afford was a recharge space large enough for his frame to fit into and a trip to a bar now and then. He joined the Decepticon side immediately once war was declared, having spent many of the previous meta-cycles listening and agreeing to the ideas of rebellion that were becoming more and more widespread. He was a scout during the early centuries of the war, actually, but his personality was very much the same as now, if not more aggressive and willing to jump into battle, trying to prove himself as a brutal fighter despite his scout-sized frame. It was then that he encountered Bulkhead, a member of the wreckers – a special squad of Autobot soldiers – and was beaten by him with embarrassing ease despite the fight Breakdown put up. Surprisingly, despite Breakdown being used to nobot giving two frags about him during peace times, his damaged frame wasn’t cast aside – instead, a Decepticon officer by the name of Dreadwing had seen the fight and approved of the medics not only patching the scout up, but giving him the frame he desired. The next time Breakdown stepped into the battlefield, he had the frame Y/n was used to seeing and, with it, he eventually took down a wrecker and made sure that his feeling of considering Bulkhead a rival and an enemy was now very mutual.

The new frame made him happy. _War_ made him happy. He got what he wanted - it only took for Cybertron to burn for it to happen. And on their burning planet, Breakdown thrived, losing himself in battle, in the fire and mayhem, in the power of his new frame for several centuries, basking in the glory it got him and wearing the dents and scratches he got proudly, because – in another lifetime – many of the blows that left those marks would have probably killed him. Centuries passed and, while the blue bruiser’s craving for a good fight never really went away, he calmed down, returning to his original personality – minus the frame dysmorphia, blessedly so. Breakdown never really considered himself a thinker and he fought in the war the only way he knew how – by following orders and deploying to the battlefield with the anticipation of a good fight. That was who he was – he liked to smash things, to dent frames and throw bots around, to test himself against powerful opponents and laugh, boast and trade storied with soldiers who survived afterwards.

Some stories, however, couldn’t be boasted about – the missions where enemy bots who could be considered civilians got in the way and were had to be ‘taken care of’, Energon and oil splatters covering Breakdown’s servos and hammer after. The realisation of someone’s frame being much more fragile and weaker didn’t bring joy when those were scientist and medic helms that were crunching and breaking apart in his squeezing servo or under his hammer. It also wasn’t fun to trade stories about walking around the battlefield after a conflict, after the enemy had retreated, and picking off those who were injured and left behind. Some of them were terrified, some - defiant till the very end. Mountains and mountains of the dead or dying, friend and foe.

Of course, helping Knockout ‘making enemies talk’ was something the blue mech eventually ended up doing also, even if he wasn’t too fond of it. Breaking an enemy’s chassis open with his hammer in the middle of a life-and-death battle was one thing. Strategically smashing off their limbs while they’re restrained was something completely different and was probably the thing Breakdown hated being ordered to do the most. 

Speaking of Knockout…Him and Breakdown eventually met on a ship that Breakdown was serving on and that Knockout was assigned to once the medic confidently strolled to the Decepticon side and showed off his qualifications like a techno-peacock. A couple of million years later, they were still together. The ship they met on was long gone, destroyed by Autobots, the last surviving part of it being the Thunder Arrow that they escaped on after Breakdown literally carried Knockout to it throught the burning and exploding ship that was still being shot at even as it was literally already falling apart in space. What a sweet story. If that story was the only new thing Y/n had learned that day, that is. The story being a carefully placed cherry on top wasn’t exactly going to make her forget about everything else, despite what Knockout may have hoped for when he shared it.

 

The young woman paced the flight deck, walking in giant circles while deep in thought, her mind aware of her surroundings just enough to notice where the deck ended so she could change direction. It also got really dark at some point, she realised, but that wasn't important.

The information was…it took some getting used to. She never idealized her friends, she knew they were soldiers in a war that lasted far longer than it had any right to. She knew that war was a horrible thing that made one do horrible things – it was like that on Earth and it was like that on Cybertron. She even acknowledged that many of the things she was told about were done millions of years ago, when both mechs were very young and stupid and in the middle of a revolutionary war. Still… _still._ She had to process this, to figure out where she stood with the two now. They were truthful with her – even if that sincerity came after a year of them knowing her. Knockout kind of gave her a reason behind it – ‘It wasn’t supposed to get this far, we thought we’d all have a fun time and you’d be let go’, he said. Sure, she could see that. Why ruin a fun little friendly relationship when you expect it to be short-lived anyway? Should she be more upset about this? Maybe. Was she? Not really. She could see herself doing something similar were she in their position – having lived for so long and expecting to just get some nice brief friendship with the local of a planet you’re currently waging war on. If anything, it was…flattering, in a way, that they considered her enough of a friend to go against Megatron’s orders and tell her the uglier parts of their stories anyway.

 

 _Megatron._ Megatron ordered them not to tell her this and they asked her, asked her with genuine fear in their optics not to tell him they did. She told them she wouldn’t on the condition that they would tell her _why_ he didn’t want her to know of this. The two mechs replied that they weren’t sure, that the order was issued almost immediately after she arrived. Knockout supposed it was not to scare her off with how brutal the war – and those who participated in it – could be. So…Megatron didn’t want to scare her off? Huh. Right now, everything still made sense. Nothing Knockout and Breakdown told her disproved Megatron's stories about the war, how brutal it was and still is, how bad it had gotten. And Megatron was often an extremely controlling mech – he shut everyone up and exposed the truth to her at the pace he deemed fitting.

‘And in the way that he wanted’ her inner voice whispered and Y/n pursed her lips and crossed her arms as she stopped and sat down - legs crossed, eyes looking down at the dark metal.

Yes, in the way that he wanted – at the pace that he wanted, in the order he wanted, in the moments that he considered fitting. For all intents and purposes, Megatron _was_ the Decepticons, so – logically thinking - hearing about the war from him was equal to getting it from the most reliable source. He also let her read up on the war on her own ever since her early days on the Nemesis as well. So didn’t everything make sense? It did. Did she trust Megatron? Yes. And the thought of digging up everything she had learned over the past year and doubting all of it on a suspicion of there being a lie somewhere in there...Y/n had done it several times before and every single time Megatron would reply to any questions she had in a way that explained everything and put her mind at ease. The thought of doing all of it again made her head ache. She had already decided that she trusted Megatron. If she didn't, she wouldn't want to be around him. He was the one giving her answerd to any questions she had, he was the one who saved her life multiple times and shared his plans, his memories and his hopes with her. The only things that make her feel like a paranoiac were doubts about what she had yet to learn about and the awareness of the potential danger of the fact that there were giant, extremely advanced aliens on Earth - but those things she just had to deal with. 

 

 

Taking a deep breath, the young woman looked up at the starry sky. Like diamonds, they shined and glimmered, so far away yet still so mesmerising. A meteor crossed the sky, momentarily leaving a white tail behind as it fell. The Perseid meteor shower culmination was just a couple of days ago, on the 12th, after all. Back then, she watched hundreds of ‘stars’ fall down, disappearing in the Earth’s atmosphere as Megatron held her in his servo. They had spent that night stargazing…right after she had such a nice day and evening with Knockout and Breakdown. Straightening her back and taking another deep breath of cold air, Y/n continued to watch the beautiful display that was the night sky as she tried to organize her thoughts and emotions.

It wasn’t easy. Her brain was telling her that the two had their valid reasons to keep all this from her. In fact, they could have probably easily kept this from her for…who knows, maybe forever.  But they decided to tell her. Were they worried that Megatron would tell her and put it in harsher terms than they themselves would? Or maybe that Starscream would decide to have some ‘fun’ and tell her of the things they weren’t too proud of? Hah, how easy it was to disregard the possibility of them actually wanting to let her know them better, both good things and bad, because they considered a friend - even if it was how they themselves explained their actions. But _that_ was her heart talking as the image of the red and blue mechs in her mind shifted to reflect all that she had learned today. 

 

To be completely fair, though…It could be worse.

 

Surprisingly, after everything Megatron had told her about the senate’s methods of preserving the pre-war system, after the stories of the atrocities that Autobots did during the war and what Megatron sometimes had to do - compared to all that, what Knockout and Breakdown did was…mild? It was still horrible, still made her look at the two in a different light. But it was war and all that Megatron had told her about the war provided context, an environment that Y/n could imagine the two mechs doing the things they did and still had to do. Even still, they were still the mechs that she grew to know and care for. It was not like what she recently learned erased everything she experienced with them during this past year - that was the main thought in her head now. Was it cynicism, empathy or hypocrisy - her being open to the possibility of accepting all of this so quickly? Was she just numb to some things that would have horrified her before? Did she just treasure her relationship with them that much? What she really needed right now was just time to blend what she already knew of the two mechs and what she was told today, to solidify these adjusted images of them in her mind. Time, yes. Taking some time to think this over sounded like a sound idea. After all, that’s what she said that she was going to do when she exited the mechs’ hab suite.

Once the decision to take her time with this was made, the young woman began to feel how cold she actually got while staying out for so long. Returning to her cabin, Y/n made herself some tea and actually felt thankful that Megatron had work to do for the next few days, meaning that she would probably get to spend a couple of evenings alone with her thoughts.

Apparently, since she was doing ‘her little appreciation event’((c) Megatron), the warlord found a way to ‘bring balance to it’, declaring that several days prior everyone had to go through mandatory combat skill testing in the combat simulation rooms. The testing took place day and night, whenever solders got off their respective duties, and while it wasn’t anything new to the crew of the Nemesis – mandatory skill assessments could take place whenever the warlord deemed it necessary, Neil had already asked her if this was Megatron’s version of the ‘carrot and stick' approach. Of course, _officially_ nothing stated that it was Megatron’s way of keeping up discipline on the ship and reminding everyone that he was always in charge and in the know of everything that happened on the Decepticon flagship…but the ‘coincidence’ of it taking place right now spoke for itself, at least for the more clever mechs on board. And, while Y/n wasn’t sure that it really needed to be done, she trusted that Megatron knew his army better than anyone. Who knows, it may have the effect of the whole event being well-received for the mere fact that it would be like getting dessert after having actually worked for it.

Right now, however, she wasn’t really in the mood to even think of what she had planned for the 20th. All she was in the mood in was to cover herself in blankets, sit on the sofa, drink alarming amounts of tea and think. And so she did just that.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Y/n snapped awake, her whole body twitching as she did. It was quiet in the whole house as she just lay there, her eyes open, her heart hammering away inside her ribcage so fast that made her borderline nauseous.

 

Huh, it was a while since she had a nightmare. And this one was vivid, too.

 

She was running away from something unknown, but terrifying through a forest, blackened trees reaching out to the grey and uncaring skies above. She came across Optimus Prime, who…just kind of looked at her. She stopped only for a moment as she wondered if it was worth asking an Autobot for help, but resumed running as soon as he began to crouch and his servo moved towards her, cold blue optics focused on her while the rest of his face was hidden under his battle mask.

Y/n had eventually found a hiding spot in some cave, but the darkness inside quickly enveloped her as the entrance seemed to just disappear as soon as she entered. The darkness itself didn’t scare her, but the feeling of something trying to grab at her arms and legs did. So she ran and searched for an exit, eventually finding it and crawling through it – only to fall down, look back and realise that she had been crawling through a mountain of mauled cybertronian corpses that now towered above her, the red, smoke-filled sky of wartime Cybertron behind it. Some of the bodies still twitched unnervingly as Energon, oil, coolant and other fluids flowed and dripped from them. Vehicon masks cracked open, lifeless optics staring at her, maskless faces smashed in or torn off, heads missing…The image was enough to distract her for long enough that she didn’t notice anything around her. But, once she did, she suddenly stood ankle deep in an ocean of black, foul-smelling...oil?

She looked back at the corpses to see that they were gone, but at that moment she felt a wet, cold human-sized metal hand grabbing her by the right wrist, the grip deathly strong. The girl was afraid to look down, but she did so immediately despite that and immediately regretted it. The creature – the cybertronian – had almost no armor on it, and what was left was violently smashed and pushed into their grey, blackened protoform, the rivers of inner Energon running down their head and over their bright green optics – their shine only adding to the horrifying image when coupled with how the creature looked. The lower half of their body was torn off and decaying, their spinal strut and the cables that connected to it dragging behind them and the young woman could see tiny scraplets eating away at them. Their cracked open spark chamber was hollow - this was someone who was definitely dead. Y/n was so terrified that she couldn’t move or speak. 

The monstrous, poor creature made a bloodcurdling wheezing sound that ended in a broken, pained moan as it tried to drag itself up using her arm…or drag her down, maybe?

 

“Hhhelp..m-m-m..e…”

 

The words and the static-filled broken voice made her entire body shudder and, as she did, the young woman felt that she was indeed being dragged down, down into the black oil that reflected the blood-red sky. The living dead repeated its plea, but this time more demandingly. The skeletal base of a servo, still partially covered in fuel lines, tightened around her wrist even more, puncturing skin and drawing blood that mixed with the Energon from the corpse, running down her hand, dripping from her numb fingers.

“Help me!” it said again and again, its tone changing from crying to shouting, to whispering again. The young woman was terrified, feeling sad and guilty and, most of all, beginning to panic. She couldn’t do anything, while the mauled cybertronian continued to drag her deeper and deeper down. When she felt the lukewarm oil hit the back of her knees, however, she finally snapped out of it, tearing her arm from the corpse’s grasp in one swift motion that somehow felt much easier to do than it seemed before. She felt like she could talk again and so she did, her voice still shaky as she spoke:

“I-I’m sorry, I can’t help you. You’re already dead,” she quietly said with sympathy, but also with firmness, set on not letting the poor creature grab her again. She was sad for it, she wasn’t about to let it make her die with it. The corpse continued to look at her with its wide open optics as it sank deeper and deeper into the oil, but it never tried to grab her again. Before it completely disappeared, however, Y/n thought that she saw the faintest little nod of acceptance. At least, she hoped she did.

That was when she heard heavy pedesteps approach, large ripples in the oil reaching her before she even turned. Megatron? No, his pedesteps sounded different. Her legs still submerged in the oil to her knee, the girl looked back in alarm only to see Optimus Prime approaching, his frame towering over her more and more with each step-

 

 

And that was when she woke up.

 

 

Huh. It seemed that everything just mixed inside her head to give her such an eventful nightmare. Disfigured dead cybertronians, desperate dying/dead ones, Cybertron’s wartime sky, Optimus Prime…Well, there’s _one_ way for her brain to try and store information. Not too sure where Optimus Prime came into all of this but, then again, that may have been just old traumas resurfacing in her subconsciousness.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman got out of bed. She still had an event to get ready to, a hangar to decorate. Nothing she did that day was done with enthusiasm; it was more like putting her body on autopilot for the sake of finishing things that she had been working all for most of the month. Also, having something to do helped with gradually clearing her head, her hands busy while her mind worked things out.

 

Things continued in much the same fashion the following day as well, with Y/n coming out of her thoughts only to briefly hang out with Steve when he helped her with preparation or Megatron when the warlord visited her in the evening. She listened to the Decepticon lord talk about his troops clearing stages, getting evaluated and ranked, about how Megatron wished some of them were half as competent in actual battle as they were in simulations. Long ago, he used to sometimes train recruits, but these days there were several virtual reality programs and officers for that – it was not like the leader of the Deception cause was expected to spend his time improving soldiers’ stances and combat methods. Nonetheless, he would sometimes oversee training or evaluation sessions, much like he did now.

 

“So, how did Knockout and Breakdown perform? They were scheduled for today,” Y/n asked as she scrolled through pages of data on Megatron’s tablet, skimming through the scores of those Vehicons whose designations she knew.  Megatron’s arms were currently around her waist and ribs, so her own arms rested atop them while her back was pressed against his warm chassis – a position that made a calm, familiar feeling of contentment settle in her heart despite all the things she had to figure out.

“I would think they would have told you all about it themselves by now,” the mech mused and Y/n responded with a thoughtful hum.

“Their side of the story is well and good and I’ll listen to it a bit later, but what do _you_ think?”

She heard a small sound of satisfaction behind herself and knew that he was smirking right now. It was no secret that Megatron liked to be reminded that he held a special place in her heart, a place that he shared with no other. Clawed digittips ran through her hair as the steel-coloured mech thought over his answer. Finally, he spoke:

“The two are _adequate_. I can at least say that they have figured out and polished their preferred fighting styles, so that already brings them above mediocrity. Am I being too harsh in my expressions?” the warlord asked and, while there was a joking note in his voice, Y/n knew that the question was meant seriously. After all, Megatron was very aware that these weren’t just some random soldiers he was currently telling Y/n about. The young woman slowly shook her head, rubbing the back of it against the grey metal.

“No, it’s fine. I want your honest opinion and you know that I usually don’t want you to bother with semantics,” she replied and then added with a chuckle, “Even though it’d be fun to listen to you try and describe it as respectfully and with as much admiration as possible.”

“Too big of an honour for the likes of those two,” Megatron grumbled and Y/n threw back her head just in time to see him rolling his optics. Smirking at that, the young woman placed a quick kiss to the mech’s chin before looking back down onto the tablet. She expected the mech to continue, yet he stayed silent for a moment before she felt a light touch of his lips to the top of her head – a small, momentary and unexpected sign of affection that made her feel all warm on the inside.

“Knockout prefers to keep the enemy at a distance with his Energon prod and Breakdown is his polar opposite, coming up to the enemy as close as possible and dealing damage with either his hammer of his fists. But that you already know,” Megatron continued, his voice soothing to her even when he was just talking about things with no particular emotion in it, “As I’ve said, adequate when acting separately. Somewhat above that when acting in tandem, though their well-coordinated, yet simple tactics and co-dependency could easily be exploited by an opponent who is either in-the-know or just observant enough.”

Y/n nodded, understanding and agreeing with such an analysis.  Then, Megatron suddenly asked her a question of his own:

 

“Y/n, how much do you think you can trust those two?”

The young woman looked down at his arms that were currently around her middle and waited for a moment before replying, her voice thoughtful:

“About as much as I can trust my close human friends.”

“And that is…?”

“Enough to share many of my experiences with them and to care for them a great deal. But to realise that they keep some things from me the same way I do from them. Though, recently, I’ve been keeping much more things from my human friends than from my cybertronian ones,” she sighed quietly, looking to the side and putting the tablet in her hands down onto the coffee table, “What is this about, Megatron? Are you trying to tell me that I should trust Knockout and Breakdown less?”

“You are smart enough not to trust them with absolutely everything already,” the deep voice above her ear says, the mech’s warm breath hitting her skin and hair, “I merely wanted to remind you that I am in the middle of a war. And one should be cautious during times of war. Even with allies, even with subordinates.”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Y/n nodded, sighing, “I know Knockout and Breakdown are relatively new additions to your crew and you have every reason to be cautious of them because of that. From my end, it never looked like they would be willing to betray you.”

“It rarely ever does,” the warlord mused and she could hear there were stories behind the tone he said it with, “I am not saying they are willing to betray me, not currently at least. Knockout prefers to be on the winning side and values himself too much to risk being my enemy and Breakdown is very unlikely to switch sides after being a Decepticon since day one.”

Y/n breathed out a small sigh of relief as she slid down the mech’s frame a bit, her arms now resting on top of his. Well, at least Megatron didn’t consider them potential traitors. That would be too much negative stuff about the two during the course of just a few days. Megatron continued, his voice thoughtful:

“Still, Y/n, it would sadden me if you ended up hurt because you trusted those you call ‘friends’ too much and believed them to be better than they really are.”

“Well, that’s just life, isn’t it?” the young woman said with a slight incline of her head and a small momentary smile, the warlord’s words of concern not going by unnoticed, “Those types of things happen with both humans and cybertronians. And if it happens, I’ll learn my lesson regarding those involved and change my opinions accordingly.”

 

Just as she was doing for the past couple of days. She sighed. The thought that Megatron, while acting in his own - sometimes too drastic - manner, had her best interest at spark added some much needed confidence and calmness to her mind. 

 

“You know, speaking of trust...you’ve been the one telling me about your kind and the war almost since my first day here. You were the one who authorised me to be able to read historical records. I would have been so confused without that,” she said, turning around in the mech’s arms and looking up at his face, “So thank you for that. And for worrying about me. I’m not idealizing anyone, don’t worry about that.”

Megatron looked her over, his crimson optics settling on her e/c eyes as he nodded slowly.

“You have already thanked me for the information, Y/n, there is no need for more gratitude. Of course I will truthfully tell you all you wish to know,” the warlord reminded calmly, “And of course I try to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

One of his servos left her back and carefully touched the side of her face, long sharp digits disappearing between strands of h/c hair as Megatron took his time to look over her face with a thoughtful expression. Catching her curious gaze, he let a smirk settle on his lips.

“And really? Is there _no_ mech you idealize at least somewhat?”

“Oh well there is _one_ ,” Y/n smiled slyly, looking at the warlord from under her eyelashes coquettishly, “But you can’t really idealize perfection. I mean Soundwave _is_ perfect.”

 

The smug expression that started to bloom on the mech’s face was quickly replaced by an unenthusiastic frown and she couldn’t help but laugh, just worsening the effect. She had the feeling Megatron was playing along, though.

 

 _“Oh really?”_ he asked as he raised an optic ridge and now the young woman definitely knew that he was.

“Mmmhm,” she nodded as she dragged her hands up the mech’s chassis slowly, “Since Lord Megatron isn’t taking part in this imaginary contest.”

“And why is that?” the warlord asked as he looked down to her lips and then back into her eyes while she leaned up, his thumb digit caressing her cheek affectionately.

“Well, you could say I’m biased when it comes to him,” Y/n replied playfully and was rewarded by the most satisfied smirk appearing on Megatron’s face.

“Ah, I see. How biased are you, exactly?” he all but purred as he pulled her face close to his own, her gaze dropping to his lips.

“Let me show you,” she whispered before covering his lips with hers and the eagerness and white hot passion that the mech kissed her back made her melt into him immediately, pushing all other thoughts away. That night her sleep was deep and dreamless.

 

 

*******

 

 

On the 18th of August, Y/n opens her eyes and her head is the clearest it’s been in the last few days. She holds onto the feeling as she lies there in silence for a while with her eyes focusing on different things in the room. Finally, she reaches out to her phone, warm fingers grasping at cool metal, glass and plastic. She checks her messages on different apps and there are a few. Her group chat with her girlfriends is full of messages describing the details of their daily lives and Y/n loses herself in the texts and photos of the weather, pets, friends and/or boyfriends, things that were bought and eaten for different meals of the day. There is also a private message from one of those friends  - apparently she wants to meet as soon as Y/n is back in town. Her group chat with the Vehicons always has something new in there, mainly because there were so many participants in it and because both Bobby and Brushfire liked to spam memes to the point of the rest of the members regularly deleting the two from the group – apparently that was the only hint they understood. Still, despite the chaos, there were also stories there and the girl liked reading those small anecdotes and observations, especially when it was from someone usually less talkative who felt like telling them something about their day. Her chat window with Soundwave has two new messages – one is a recommendation of a travel destination that she would probably like and the other is a photo of Megatron sitting on his throne on the command bridge looking grumpy and - to the careful observer - bored out of his mind. Y/n can’t help but chuckle at that one. 

Her group chat with Knockout and Breakdown is silent, same as it has been for the last few days. Not that much time has passed since they last talked on the 15th, but it seems she had underestimated how used she has gotten to having at least _some_ sort of contact with them. 

 

Y/n sighs and slides under blanket. Actually, maybe a break from the Nemesis and everyone on it wasn’t such a bad idea?...

 

 

That evening, after spending an actually motivated day inside the hangar, she finds herself at a café, the warm yellowish light of the lamps chasing the darkness away from the tables but leaving just enough shadows present for it to feel cosy and adequately intimate. Y/n spends some time with her friend, learns of the latter's engagement and they both excitedly discuss the upcoming wedding. They then share recent stories and jokes, and her friend laughs loudly at something, desperately tries to quiet down, pressing her lips together and then putting her hand over her mouth as she tries and fails at suppressing her laughter. Y/n watches her and tries to remember this moment – this meeting – as well as she can. The warm glow of the lamps, the smell of coffee and sweets, the darkness outside the windows with white and red lights of passing cars moving in the distance, the image of her friend. Someday, Y/n knows, she will have to leave this behind. Either because she decides to leave Earth to travel with Megatron or because she just won’t age as quickly as her human friends, eventually having to change identities and location to keep her secrets.

Her friend, who she has known for years, is getting married. Despite the hidden war on Earth, life goes on as it always has and it will hopefully stay that way until the cybertronians depart. And, someday, Y/n herself will no longer be a part of her friends' life. Might as well make the time she still has with them count. 

 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

In the afternoon of the 19th, Knockout is on his way to his and Breakdown’s shared hab suite. He wonders if maybe his partner has gotten some news from their human friend today, mainly because he doesn’t want to be on the other side of the same question. It’s been only four days since they told Y/n about the less commendable parts of their histories, but it already feels strange to have no contact with the girl whatsoever. Sure, they agreed to wait and give her time, but Knockout would have preferred that Y/n just screamed at them or something – not knowing what was going through his favourite human’s head was really getting on Knockout’s nerves.

 

Okay, it’s been four days of silence and he misses the little smartass by now.

 

The Decepticon CMO walks up to the door to the hab suite and sends a mental signal to open it. The lock recognises his code and the door quietly slides to the side, and he immediately hears laughter. The medic’s upper frame peaks into the room and his helm quickly turns in the direction of the sound. At the table that’s located farther away, he sees the two of them – Breakdown and Y/n, grinning at each other as if nothing ever happened. The red mech quickly leans back and smiles to himself as he looks at the floor for a moment. Well, at least he knows for sure that Breakdown got Y/n back, that’s good. Then again, how could Y/n _not_ accept Breakdown? The mech then looks back up and straightens his back before strolling into the hab suite at a relaxed pace.

“Oh, well look who it is! Glad to have you visiting, doll,” he says smoothly but with a pinch of additional warmth to let her know that he’s genuinely happy to see her, “Miss me?”

Both his partner and the young woman look at him as he approaches and the moment he’s on the other end of the latter’s gaze he knows things really did turn out alright, both for Breakdown and for himself.

“I did, actually,” Y/n smiles affectionately as she stands up from the human-sized red couch the two keep for her sake and takes a few steps in his direction, “You miss me?”

The red mech gives a breathy laugh, his optics glowing with relief as he stops in front of the table.

“You really have to ask, Y/n?” he asks and puts his servo on his hip, his chassis feeling lighter than it did in several days, “Just a bit, doll.”

“And by ‘just a bit’ he means ‘I’ve been pacing the room wondering if you’d ever talk to us again’,” Breakdown chuckles and – while usually not easily embarrassed – Knockout feels Energon rush to his cheek plates.

“Obviously, because Breakdown was worried,” the doctor laughs and clears his windpipe, crossing his arms after that.

“Yeah, I kinda was,” his partner admits easily and with a smile and, Primus damn it, he was a better mech than Knockout could ever be.

 

Knockout sits down at the table after getting himself a cube of Energon and Y/n tells him what she told Breakdown. She couldn’t imagine living through what they did, through a war that long-lasting, through the fear and pain and everything else they experienced and were ordered to do. And, while some of the things they did were indeed horrible and they would talk about it more, Y/n had no idea what she herself would do in those situations. But she _did_ kill people not only because she wanted to survive but because she wanted to eliminate those coming for her for good, so there's that. Also, the time they all spent together and the couple's actions towards her during this year showed her what kinds of mechs they were willing to be when it came to the relationship between the three of them. And, finally, she was grateful that they found it in their sparks to be sincere with her, give her time and give her a choice. 

“Yeah, well, you’re a friend,” Breakdown says and Knockout nods as one of his servos supports his helm while the red mech looks over the human.

“We don’t have many of those, doll, but we do take care of our own,” the doctor tells her with a relaxed smile playing on his dermas, “You’re one sneaky turbofox, though, making us care like this.”

“How shameless of me,” Y/n chuckles, her gaze travelling from Knockout to Breakdown and then back, “But really, guys, thank you for trusting me. We're good.”

The mechs share a look and then smile at the girl.

“Glad to hear, Y/n~”

“You’re one good friend, kid.”

“Okay-okay, enough with the warms and fuzzies, I think I’m getting static from all of it,” the red mech informs jokingly, “Now, Y/n, you wanna tell us how your little project is going?”

“You mean our group project? Well, it’s finished, _I guess,_ ” the young woman says thoughtfully, putting her index finger under her chin, “But it could really use a skilful servo and an expert’s optic to bring it to perfection~”

 

Knockout smirks and Breakdown grins. Things are definitely returning back to normal.

 

 

***

 

 

In the morning of the 20th of August, Megatron stands before the door to the previously empty hangar, Soundwave at his side. Both of them know what awaits them inside – especially Soundwave, who helped set everything up – but the steel-coloured mech still feels a small tug in his spark. Anxiousness? Anticipation? The scanner above the door recognises them and lets them in and the Decepticon lord just stands there for a while, his optics blinking once in surprise as he looks inside the room.

 

The lighting in the hangar has been changed and it’s no wonder why – the ceiling is now covered with a projection of a sky. But not Earth’s sky, but Cybertron’s. Judging by it, the hologram is attuned to Earth’s orbital cycle, since the star closest to Cybertron is in the same position it would be during the morning. Still looking up, the warlord finally walks into the room, Soundwave following close behind.

“The projectors. Yours?” he asks his old friend and can see him nod out of the corner of his optics. Megatron then looks around and everything looks much more different than he imagined it. Instead of a room decorated to serve as a celebration hall, it is instead more of a park - with display cases, holographic and non-holographic sculptures and strings made of crystals and round-shaped lights making up improvised paths. These paths are wide enough for Megatron and Soundwave to be able to comfortably walk side by side and, as they do just that, the warlord surveys the fruit of Y/n’s labour with interest and a quickly growing feeling of gratitude. After all, his lover did not need to do this in the first place. And now it took a significant amount of Megatron’s willpower not to just declare the place off-limits to anyone but himself and Y/n. A quick thought passes through his mind as the warlord wonders how the young woman would go about rebuilding the cities of Cybertron once Megatron restores the planet, but he pushes that thought aside for it to wait until a more suitable time.

The music that is playing in the hangar made Megatron somewhat nostalgic as his audials are filled with compositions from his homeworld. He can hear ceremonial drums in the music, and their beat is enough to get the warlord into a celebratory mood, even if just a miniscule amount. Along the walls and inside display cases are different kinds of metals, suspended in the air thanks to the magnetic devices under them. Some of the metals are from Cybertron, some are from Earth and some – from different planets entirely, some of which Megatron would have to scrounge around his memory to remember. All of them have a holographic info sheet next to them, the light blue background and dark blue glyphs being an unexpected change from the Nemesis’s standard red-on-purple holo-screen design. Then again, Megatron supposes as he inspects a sculpture of a Earth creature - a deer - made of the Earth-born metals, this place is meant to be different from the rest of the Nemesis.

The Decepticon lord looks over the holographic recreations of famous Cybertronian sculptures – the originals of some of them still stand to this day, some were destroyed in the war and some even before the war. The mech notices some small sculptures that are real, some even have small holoplates with the designations of those who made them. Most of the ‘art’ is... _quaint_ and Megatron wants to believe – for their sakes – that it was made without any detriment to their creators’ actual duties. Still, mechs couldn’t live on duty alone - Megatron would be a fool to forget that, even if it would have made things much more simple and efficient. So, while surprising, creative expression of this kind is interesting to see on his ship. There are also ornaments made of metal lying inside display cases and the mech notices gem-incrusted bracelets and other frame-adorning jewellery hidden behind protective Cybertronian glass, the owner apparently being Knockout. So, the vain doctor decided to share something of his own? How uncharacteristic of him. Between the larger mech-sized jewellery he can also see Y/n’s necklaces, earrings and bracelets – some of them being ones that Megatron himself gave her. That piece of information isn’t written anywhere, of course, but Megatron knows. He knows and it makes the corners of his lips rise a bit. He then sees the monument to himself, the original of which stands in Kaon, and is not disappointed when he notices that it is the largest statue here and that it stands in the most well-observed and well-lit spot. The fact that it was Y/n’s decision to do so warms both his ego and his spark.

 

He sees Soundwave walk a bit farther ahead of him and turn to the right, after that carefully running his digits through the collection of different-coloured, shaped and sized crystals that are suspended in the air. As he does, they move out of the servo’s way as if they were dust particles. The bowl-looking thing that stands under them and is in fact a low-power zero-gravity field emitter is covered in hundreds of small lights, making it seem like a bowl filled with white light that shines up and makes the crystals shine and glimmer as they move. Coming up to the spymaster with his servos behind his back, the warlord watched the crystals of gems and glass settle back into their unmoving state. Behind the crystals there is a path that goes in a half-circle, retuning one to the main path. The purpose of it is a holo-screen that borders this side-path, helpfully describing the types or rock or glass to those who are curious about that. Across the crystals, to the left of the path there are a couple of tables and benches surrounded by holographic crystals much like those that grew out of the ground in Onyx Prime’s legendary gardens, the crystals slowly changing colours over time. The wall shows an image of an Energon waterfall – something those of Megatron’s generation had seen only in historical vids. The music is quieter here and Megatron hears sounds of different mechanimals, further supporting his theory about what Y/n had taken inspiration from. Soundwave seems to like it here, so Megatron lets his friend explore more while he himself strolls ahead.

 

The music picks back up in the next section and it is obvious why – the holo-statues of the Primes are here, standing along the wall and while they are much smaller than the original ones that stand on the northernmost point of Cybertron, Megatron still has to throw back his head a bit to look most of them in the faceplates. They also have small info screens near them, but mostly for formality. After all, these are the original Primes - everyone knows who they are. As Megatron walks along the path, regarding the Primes with little interest, mostly just remembering how the original statues looked, he notices a round holographic display light up in front of Prima who he is currently passing. The warlord reaches out and grins as the Prime swings the Star Saber at him, the glowing white blade passing through his frame like a ghost before Prima assumes his original position. He has to admit, he did not expect this. Fun little touch. He goes back and tries the other Primes.

Alpha Trion – the record-keeper of the Primes - looks down into the Covenant of Primus and writes something down using his Quill. Solus Prime – the master artificer - lifts up the Forge and places it on her shoulder confidently. Micronus Prime – the first mini-con - is suspended in the air and at an average bot’s optic-level thanks to his force field and – upon activation – makes his Chimera stone appear in front of him for a moment. Alchemist Prime – the student of the elemental structure of the natural world - has his Lenses appear over his optics, the sets of lenses changing as the Prime looks over Megatron. Nexus Prime’s – the first combiner’s - arm falls off and transforms, the emerging cybertronian running around Megatron before transforming and re-attaching to Nexus.  Amalgamous Prime – the light-hearted shifter - looks over the mech, then transforms into a copy of Megatron and smiles slyly. Quintus Prime – the daydreamer and scientist of the Primes – makes his artefact, the Emberstone, appear and it flashes, creating a holographic Cybertronian bird made of glass, crystal and metal – a lilleth – that flies over Megatron’s helm before flying back into the Emberstone. Liege Maximo – the silverglossa’d Prime – lifts one of his Liegian Darts to his mouth with a smirk. The Thirteenth Prime, as he was known – the mediator of the Primes – lifts his servo in greeting, true to how the legends describe his actions at the dawn of time. Onyx Prime - the first beast-form Cybertronian – spreads his impressive wings wide and somewhere behind him there have to be hidden air vents, because the Prime’s action makes air rush towards Megatron. The Blades of Time behind Vector Prime - the master of time and space – start spinning slowly and at first the warlord thinks that that’s all there is, but he then notices the holographic beard that has grown on his face – and it’s a long one, similar to Alpha Trion’s. That makes him smirk.

Megatron stares at the last Prime he decides to come up to for a while. Megatronus – the fallen, the one the mech had named himself after so long ago – is depicted as he is on Cybertron – grand and with an intimidating look in his optics. Despite being ‘the fallen one' and his designation forever being synonymous in the minds of cybertronians with murder and conflict, he, as well as the traitorous Liege Maximo, were still Primes and still stood next to their brethren. Generations of Councils did not dare remove their monuments and Y/n, of course, wouldn’t have excluded them from this display that she made. The Prime activates and looks down at him. The Requiem Blaster – a scaled down version of it – appears on his forearm, very much in the likeness of Megatron’s own fusion cannon. The warlord stays still as the Prime aims and takes a shot at him, making digital flames appear all over his frame on impact. Appropriate enough, the mech thinks approvingly as he continues his walk through the hangar.

 

He passes an enclosure for (probably) ‘Shoot Shoot Bang Bang’ and a sparring space and reaches the last section. It is a simple space with several tables and benches surrounded by long poles. At the ends of those poles lanterns are lit and strings of lights are attached to these poles, stretching above the tables and connecting to the small, but tall fountain in the centre of the place. The design of the thing reminds Megatron of the Energon fountains back on Cybertron, but the liquid that is pouring out of it definitely isn’t Energon. The warlord would be surprised if it was – there would be no way of Y/n procuring the Energon required without him knowing. He walks up to the fountain and it’s a miniature, crude version, but still serviceable. Breakdown’s contribution, perhaps? The steel-coloured mech can’t imagine anyone else in Y/n’s friend circle possessing the size, strength and access to the needed materials to make something like this in the span of a couple of weeks.

Megatron dips his servo into the liquid that runs down the fountain – it is blue and it is glowing, but much more dilated-looking than Energon. Coloured water, probably. It is enough to set the atmosphere, though. The warlord looks around – he recognises these tables and benches – they are from the very early days of the war, when the improvised bar on the Nemesis was still in its early stages. Ah, this takes him back. He feels a presence and remembers that Soundwave is here with him.

“This is a nice little place you and Y/n arranged,” the mech admits, shaking off the liquid from his servo back into the fountain. Soundwave stays silent, but Megatron can hear him walk off to the side and fiddle with something. Curious, the warlord finally turns around only to see the spymaster putting two cubes of highgrade onto one of the tables. By the tiny bows on top of the cubes, it is very easy to deduce who exactly left those cubes around. The mech smirks and comes over to the table, sitting down and picking up the little gold bow with the tips of his digits. Something catches his optic and he looks to the side, realising that there’s a sort of slideshow of pictures of Golden Age Cybertron on the wall now. The Golden Age. Something that Cybertron once was and will be again, this time under Megatron’s leadership.

“I fear to ask how many hologenerators were used to make all of this possible,” the warlord smirks as he looks at the slowly changing pictures. He hears Soundwave’s mask hiss quietly as the pressurised locks disengage and slowly looks over to look at his old friend’s face. The other former gladiator gives him a look of ‘Enough of them’ before he opens his cube, prompting Megatron to do the same.

“Well then, Soundwave, you have indeed done an admirable job helping put this together,” the larger mech speaks as he lifts his cube, “A fine All Sparks Day to you, my friend.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Y/n is not on the Nemesis for most of the 20th, no. She is on a tiny, remote tropical island, having booked the only bungalow there for the next ten days. The last three weeks have been eventful and full of interaction and the young woman feels that – while she likes hanging out with her friends on the Nemesis – she deserved herself some alone time.

 

Still, she holds her tablet and watches mechs come and go into the hangar through the cameras hidden all around the place. The cameras are there for security in case someone gets too rowdy, but the young woman can’t help but watch the feed, deciding that it’s her reward for making the event happen. After Megatron and Soundwave leave the area and the communications officer activates the surveillance, she watches Laserbeak search the nooks and crannies in the ceiling where she hid small mini-con sized cubes of Energon for him. She drinks some iced water with lemon and lime as she lounges on the warm sand, small waves of crystal clear water licking at her feet while she watches on as Steve and the guys explore the place. The young woman grins and respectfully closes the window showing the remote spot where Neil and Kody decide to hide from the others to sneak some kisses in. As the day goes by, Y/n switches to sitting in a recliner chair and looks on as Vehicons come and go, as they explore and some read about the different metals and crystals, as they spar in the dedicated enclosure or just hang out in a spot they like, as they play around with the floating glass and gem crystals or with the moving statues of the Primes. She also spots an addition that hasn't been there before Megatron's and Soundwave's visit - on the wall next to Megatron's holostatue, there is a shield and two axes. Familiar ones. Ones from the wall of Megatron's hab suite. And, as soldiers gather around them and point index digits, Y/n smiles at her lover's contribution. That shield and those weapons are a part of history and she's glad others aside from herself and Soundwave got to see them now that they were outside of Megatron's quarters. Knockout and Breakdown come in somewhere during the evening and as the other soldiers who bring their rations of Energon to the square around the fountain to have a meal and hang out while the sky above them turns darker and darker and Luna-2 begins to rise. Some mechs hit tables during passionate discussions, others drink and seemingly laugh with friends – it’s hard to tell without the sound being on - and some even dance. It's loud and lively over there, and Y/n wouldn't have it any other way.

All Sparks Day is a celebration of life, of what made cybertronians cybertronians – their sparks, their very essence. It was a celebration of the joy of yourself and those you value being alive. The many documents that Y/n read about it and the stories that have been told by her friends all agreed upon a few key things had to be present for All Sparks Day. A ceremonial Cybertronian drum - to announce the beginning of the celebration as well as take part in most of the musical numbers. A Parade of Metals and the Festival of Primes was also an important part and, while Y/n couldn’t arrange that with the grandeur those things deserved, the substitutions seemed to be enough to amuse and busy those who visited the hangar. An Energon fountain was also needed for a proper celebration and Y/n had Breakdown to thank for making one, at least one that – even if it didn’t have Energon – looked like a smaller version of the real thing and so created the necessary atmosphere. All these preparations took time and energy and a massive amount of thought and improvisation, and of course the help of all of her friends, and Y/n probably wouldn’t want to repeat this again if the celebration was annual. All Sparks Day, however, was held every seven meta-cycles, so every seven and a half human years or so. In seven years, who knows where Y/n will be. Will she be on the Nemesis that will be traversing space? Will she be on Earth with the Nemesis gone? Or will things still stay the same and she’ll still live on the Nemesis that will be hovering in the Earth’s atmosphere? The young woman couldn’t know, so that’s why she went through with all of this – if she ever did something memorable for those on board, she wanted it to be this.

 

Y/n watches over the visitors fondly, happy to just spectate and know that everyone is having a good time. She smiles as green, blue and white light shines behind her and soon after two large hands cover her shoulders.

“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves,” Megatron’s deep voice sounds over her ear and Y/n puts the tablet onto her lap, reaching up and behind herself to bury her fingers in silver hair. A pleased hum and a kiss to the neck are her reward and she stretches with a content smile playing on her lips.

“Seems so. The famed shield of the grand champion of Kaon is especially impressive,” she lets him know and slowly turns around in the chair, her arms now around the man’s neck. His lips are on hers immediately and she closes her eyes in delight, melting into the kiss and staying like that for a wonderful, perfect moment. The young woman then opens her eyes to meet the gaze of dark red ones and chuckles.

“I like how almost every time we’re on the beach, you use a human holoform. Is it the sand?”

“It is indeed the sand,” Megatron answers with a nod.

“Let me guess, it’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere?”

“Yes and why do I feel like that was a reference to something?” the currently human-looking alien warlord guesses with a raised eyebrow and Y/n just laughs it off and kisses him again, quietly yelping as he picks her up from her chair, throws her up a little and holds her is his arms bridal style.

“I will let this project of yours stay around for a few orbital cycles so everyone who is interested, but currently on duty may take part,” Megatron informs quietly as he looks up at her affectionately while Y/n rubs her nose against his.

“Thank you,” she says and places a light kiss on his cheek before giving into temptation and kissing him on the lips again – it's just too hard not to do it when he's this close. Not that Megatron minds at all, of course. She hears a husky chuckle that makes her heart skip a beat, after another kiss, follows the man’s gaze as something catches his eye in the sky. The moon is full and bright tonight and Y/n gives a relaxed little sigh as they both look at it.

 

“It is the 21th already,” he tells her casually and she nods, then realises something and looks back at him suspiciously.

“You remembered?” Y/n asks, genuinely surprised as the man looks at her, a brief amused smirk appearing on his lips.

“I assure you, my dear, I have a very good memory.”

“Well then, since you do remembered,” Y/n says gently, one of her hands caressing the side of her lover’s face, “I’m glad that a year ago you decided to check out who it was who watched you chase off the Autobots.”

“I am glad I did as well,” the man replies, his face serious as is his voice, the latter becoming more thoughtful as he continues, “Though I don’t think either of us could imagine back then that that decision would lead us here.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” she nods slightly and, seeing her lover lean up, leans down to cover his warm lips with hers, after that looking down into his eyes with calm adoration, “And Happy All Sparks Day, Megatron. I’m happy you’re alive and here, with me. Your sparkbeat is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.”

The man freezes and just looks into her eyes for a while, searching for something in them. He seems to find the answer and his previously serious expression is replaced by a truly loving smile that adorns his face as he gives a quiet, almost humble chuckle.

“Well. That is something I have never heard before. Thank you,” he tells her quietly and then presses her to himself more tightly, kissing her again.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Y/n wakes up to the sounds of waves hitting the sandy shores and tropical birds singing in the distance. She smiles and listens to it for a while before turning from her side to her back and giving her body a good long, sweet stretch. The tip of a sharp digit pokes her side and she yelps and giggles, catching the servo with both her hands, opening her eyes and looking to the side, where her lover is sitting with a tablet in his other servo.

“My Lord, what a sneaky attack,” she chides playfully and Megatron smirks, showing her a bit of sharp dentas. He probably expects retaliation, but instead gets a very lazy Y/n straddling his abdomen and kissing his cheeks, drawing a pleased hum and a chuckle out of him.

 

It’s the fifth day of her staying on the small private island and it’s only now that she feels that her introvert batteries have recharged. It's nice having some time all to herself and having nothing to do except sunbathe, swim, admire the local nature, eat icecream and read fanfiction all day, as well as enjoy her lover's company whenever he can stay. She’s also grown accustomed to the white sand, the azure sky and bright blue water outside the windows. And to the bungalow with its wooden walls, the decorative fishing net on one of them, the white bedsheets and blankets and the sweet-smelling tropical flowers she grew a habit of picking and putting into vases that stand on the tables.

The young woman puts on a black bikini and a purple chiffon kimono-style cover up, leaving the latter open as she exits the bungalow. Her feet hit the warm sand and she takes deep breath of salty air as she walks to the nearest palm tree. Y/n places a hand onto the tree’s rough trunk and gives it a good shake as she looks up. With a smile, she raises her other hand and catches the coconut that falls from above. Humming to herself in satisfaction, the girl strolls towards the ocean, fishing a cute little pocketknife out of her pocket. It takes a bit of pushing down and dragging around and it’s as if the hard coconut shell was made of waffles. The knife goes back into her pocket and Y/n walks ankle-deep into the ocean before taking a sip out of the coconut. The sunlight warms her to the point where she needs to take the cover up off and throw it back onto dry land. The young woman walks farther into the ocean and is soon floating on her back with her eyes closed, the empty coconut shell drifting towards the shore slowly.

The last few days have been just what she needed - relaxed and filled with many small, yet memorable moments. Her showing off her proxy abilities by scaring off local snakes or coming up close to tropical birds and fish was something Megatron found interesting. The man glaring at the huge mass of water as he stoically walked into it neck-deep for the first time was something Y/n found incredibly amusing. The contrast of a simple yet comfortable bungalow and a holoscreen they used to watch movies was also fun. The pitch black nights, the brilliantly bright stars, the white moon and the nights spent near a bonfire on the beach – all of that was priceless.

 

She thinks that she may take the Vehicons and the duo from the medbay up on their offer to spend this evening on the Nemesis tonight, since this will be the last day of the already prolonged celebration. Yes, that sounds nice now that she has spent some time away. Maybe she'll do that - take a look at Megatron's shield and axes under different lighting and spend some time next to the fountain with her friends. But that's in the evening, that's later - for now Y/n just enjoys the warm water and the sunlight. She hears ‘someone’ walking through the water in her direction. Smiling to herself, the young woman dives underwater and jumps out of it as soon as she’s close to the man, hanging onto him with her arms around his neck and her wet body pressing against his dry one. His arms come around her waist and water continues to run down between their bodies, and Megatron smirks in satisfaction before claiming her lips.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megatron in swim trunks. I got nothing.
> 
> Alsooo  
> I HAD TO WATCH A RESQUE BOTS EPISODE TO GET THE CELEBRATION ACCURATELY OKAY. 
> 
> If you ever wondered how an Energon fountain looks:  
> https://i.imgur.com/MNIWS7M.png
> 
> Phew. We did it, fam. We made All Sparks Day happen.  
> Let's sit back, rest a bit and watch this cute vid of Knockout and Breakdown dancing:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUAiDFzGV2Q
> 
>  
> 
> Also, Knockout's background is my own speculation and Breakdown's is based on the scraps of canon info I found over on the wiki.


	53. Penny For Your Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron is acting weird. It's not helpful, considering he is going away soon.  
> Y/n juggles worrying and trying to go about her life as usual until he warlord decides to be reasonable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler: Megatron is bad at being reasonable ~~most of the time~~ sometimes. 
> 
> Minor Author's Thought:  
> Whenever I write Starscream and I start to wonder if I'm writing him to be too twitchy or expressive, I seek advice from the canon...  
> http://megatron.co.vu/post/68901275572  
> ...No, I think I'm okay XD
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

 

On the morning of the 12th of September, Y/n is woken up by loud insistent banging on the large metal door to her room. The young woman nearly falls off the bed trying to get to her feet and Megatron, who had been quietly reading next to her, gives her an inquisitive look as she checks her phone. The Vehicons – _her_ Vehicons – are at the door and it is actually Megatron who clues her in to the possible reason why they came over unannounced. Today is the anniversary of her first day on the Nemesis. Well, her first _conscious_ day. She was brought on board by Megatron in the morning of the 11th, but her first memories of the ship – and her meeting with Steve’s friends – are from the 12th. 'Time sure flies', Y/n thinks, chuckling and kissing the warlord goodbye as he has to go and attend to his duties anyway. She then puts on some clothes and her wings, after that greeting the loud bunch. They spend time fooling around and remembering the funny and sometimes awkward moments involving the Vehicons from when Y/n first started living on the warship. Steve _was_ somewhat awkward in the beginning, and Kody _did_ bury her under a mountain of questions and Brushfire _definitely did_ whine like a baby when he saw Y/n rummaging in his chassis, her butt and legs sticking out of it.

“It felt weird, _okay?!”_ the mech defends himself while laughing, “Frag you guys!”

Y/n enjoys her time with the guys until they leave her cabin one by one to get to their shifts. In the end, she gets to spend some time alone with the first cybertronian she had ever befriended.

“Yeah well, don’t you forget who was your pal before you started hanging out with officers and stuff,” Steve smirks as they play a game of holocards.

“Only if you promise to give me discounts when you end up owning a bar one day,” she replies with a chuckle and a quick warm look at the mech before flipping a card on the holographic screen and striking a dramatic pose, “And now, _to the Shadow Realm with you!”_

“FOR THE LAST FRAGGIN’ TIME, THIS ISN’T YUGIOH!”

 

*******

 

 

 

Y/n sits at the small kitchen table in her cabin, supporting her head with her right arm. Her left one is on the table next to the laptop and there is a golden bracelet on her wrist, it reflects the kitchen lamp’s light as the girl moves her hand thoughtfully. The bracelet was given to her earlier today by Megatron – a present for no reason, just because. And, while usually it would have made Y/n feel delight and gratitude, this time it was different. 

Megatron had been acting weird lately. Ever since the beginning of September, when he had told her he’d be going away on another venture into space, he’s been different. It was in small ways at first, the mech becoming thoughtful suddenly or being a little too agitated around her. He was busy, he told her. And she believed him. Of course he was, in the beginning of October he would be leaving for about three months – he had to make sure things were in order on both the Nemesis and the Thanatos before he left. But, as time passed, the warlord’s actions couldn’t be logically explained by him just being busy. It couldn’t even be explained by Optimus Prime having recently successfully sabotaged one of the Decepticons’ mining operations – yes, Megatron was usually a walking, looming  storm cloud whenever something like that happened, but this…this was different.

He would sometimes bring up a point to argue about seemingly out of the blue and - while both of them enjoyed a good intellectual discussion, even one that could get pretty heated - it was almost like Megatron was searching out conflict. And, because he knew her well by now, he knew just where to press down on to get to her. He was still much more hot-tempered than her, though, so if he couldn’t get under her skin _he_ would be the one to get irritated instead. And other times, he would get very generous, giving her gifts or commenting on those traits of her personality and looks that he found particularly endearing. Or he would get very, very quiet, hold her hands, tracing his digits over her palms and look at her closely, with and almost sad affection that made her want to beg him to tell him what was wrong. More than once, she would wake up during the night to see his optics staring at her from the darkness even though he told her that he wouldn’t come that evening. She knew that whatever was on his mind, he still cared about her. But he was getting distant, he was _putting effort into being distant._ Y/n knew when to check and double check that she wasn’t just assuming things, but she wasn’t stupid and knew what she saw and how facts clicked together. She knew the mech and he was acting very weird. 

And it bothered Y/n, it also bothered her that he refused to tell her what was bothering him. The young woman knew well that sometimes one had to work through things on their own, but this was clearly spilling over into the relationship between the two of them and the fact that Megatron was leaving soon sure didn’t help. She had thought about asking Soundwave, but she had a feeling that the spymaster wouldn’t be able to help her. Or maybe wouldn’t want to. Though the two of them were friends, Soundwave was _Megatron’s_ loyal friend and follower first. So, if the warlord had anything to hide, Y/n would have more luck trying to get it out of Megatron himself than the silent spymaster.

 

Y/n sighs and brings up the mug to her lips, taking a sip of lukewarm coffee. It’s the 15th of September and Megatron was going away in twenty days. She resumes looking through building supplies and construction materials on her laptop, _really_ hoping that all of this will clear up soon.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

“Ready?” Breakdown asks her.

“Yes,” Y/n replies, bracing herself.

 

 

She, Breakdown and Knockout are currently in one of the Nemesis’s combat simulation rooms. The CSRs were used primarily for training, be it servo-to-servo combat or working on one’s shooting capabilities. They were also very useful for simulating different environments where a battle could take place or different enemies one could face. Y/n had also been known to sometimes use a room to have a lively game with the Vehicons without the added danger of destroying her cabin in the process. Today, she came by to watch Breakdown give her Vehicon friends a good workout and train them to face an opponent like Bulkhead up close and have a chance of actually surviving. Knockout was also there, but his contribution was just swiftly taking everyone out with his Energon prod and giving them the sage advice of ‘get good’. He did eventually begrudgingly cave under Breakdown’s and Y/n’s ‘whining’, giving the soldiers a few actually insightful pointers. After the training session was finished though, the red and blue mechs asked if she was in the mood for some fun herself instead of watching from the sidelines. No hammers or Energon prods, of course. 

But that got old fast - after all, months of dodging Vehicons rid her of the dear-in-headlights response when a giant metal body was swinging at her, so she just flew out of the way of the two mechs until Knockout’s pride couldn’t take it anymore. The two retreated to their hab suite only to come into existence inside the CSR in their holoforms.

 

 

“Ya sure?” the human-sized mech asks, grinning at her.

“Come at me, bro,” she smirks back, even though her excitement is mixed with a generous dose of anxiousness. She hasn’t exactly ever faced an actual soldier in hand-to-hand combat. All the times she took people out, she used either stealth or wit. This was new and she was nervous, even though she was very sure that she knew how this would go.

“Hehe, okay then, kid!” Breakdown chuckles before charging at her – an action that she dodges quickly and easily. She then catches him by the elbow and, planting her feet, turns quickly, swinging him into a wall with considerable force.

 

From the moment the two stepped into her world size-wise, they were outclassed.

 

Knockout watches with wide optics as his partner is flung across the room, then brings up the holoscreen for the command console of the room. A human-sized Energon prod appears in front of him on the floor and he grabs it, leaping out of the way as Y/n jumps over to where he was.

“I thought no Energon prods,” the girl teases playfully, enjoying the little high she got out of realising that her usually much more powerful friends were beginning to realise that she was an actual threat now.

“That was _before_ I remembered you were a freak of science and nature, okay doll?” Knockout replies with enough sass that it makes Y/n grin.

“Okay well, do I get one or are you ‘cons going to attack a defenceless woman?” she asks and hears Breakdown laugh as he comes over to them.

“Give ‘er something, Knockout,” the blue mech says. The medic smirks, shakes his head and complies.

“You got any weapon preferences, hon?” he asks, red optics focusing on her.

“Eh...no?” she stumbles for a moment as she thinks it over, “Just give me a spear or something.”

“A spear?” Knockout smirks, raising an optic ridge in amusement and Y/n can feel her cheeks warm up as she crosses her arms.

 _“I don’t know!_ No, you know what, give me an edgy black sword with purple flames coming out of it - call me NeoUnicron, the edgy bringer of death,” the young woman flaps her arms in hopeless frustration, “I know some basics of self-defence and I’ve shot a gun a few times, I don’t know what I want! Get off my case! Stop- Stop laughing-!!”

 

The young woman breaks down and laughs along with her friends who were _really_ enjoying both her referring to herself as their god of destruction and her momentary lost and flustered condition. When the three of them regain their composure, the red mech makes a spear appear in front of her and lets her inspect it, get used to the feel of it in her hands. It imitates light grey metal, has a nice balanced weight to it and is about the length of two meters.

“It’s a basic spear, no upgrades or anything,” Knockout tells her as she experimentally spins the spear in her hands, “You going to be okay with that, pretty bird? Don’t hurt yourself now~”

“Shhh…uuush,” the young woman says in a patient, sugary voice, knowing well that the two knew well that she was just saying ‘shut up’ in her own way. Both grin like idiots as she continues, “Long ago, I used to play with the neighbour boys using wooden sticks as swords and spears. Kicked ass back then…How much different can it be now?”

She adds a nervous ‘heh’ at the end of that question before pointing the spear at her friends.

“And don’t you even try going easy on me, I will run circles around you!...Um. On second thought, make it a staff. I feel weird pointing sharp objects at you. “

“You. Are. Adorable.”

“Knockout, _no._ Staff, please.”

“Breakdown, isn’t she just so cute?”

“Heheh, ‘Oh no! But I can’t point pointy things at friendlies!’”

_“Guys.”_

“Okay, okay, we’re just teasing, doll. I’m not complaining, less chances of you scratching my paint – even if it's holomatter,” Knockout looks away from his partner and back to Y/n, smirking and letting her have a staff. It feels more comfortable to her now – after all, this is a friendly little competition. The medic sighs and tells her that he wasn’t planning to use any of the prod’s stunning capabilities on her anyway, so all of them were on equal footing now.

“Or at least I _think_ so,” the doctor adds with a shrug, “I really have no idea what to expect of you.”

 

“Well let’s see!” Breakdown exclaims, impatient for a good fight. He charges at her again and she steps out of the way again, this time placing one end of her staff to the mech's back and pushing him along, letting his inertia do the job for her. She doesn’t have time to celebrate, however, because Knockout is right there in front of her and she quickly dodges again, taking four nervous steps away from where the prod should have connected with her side.

“I don’t like people who are faster than me,” the medic threatens playfully and all Y/n offers back is a quick smile. She isn’t exactly used to combat where her life isn’t on the line and she’s not experienced enough to feel confident to crack jokes mid-fight.

Knockout swings at her again and Y/n dodges again. It’s easy to dodge attacks, even though Knockout is very much faster than Breakdown, probably somewhat faster than a normal athletic human. She dodges the third attack and, while the red mech doesn’t seem too pleased, it gives her time to compare the fighting style that she saw from his recent evaluation vids to how he was acting now. Finally, on the fourth strike, the Energon prod clashes with her metal staff with a loud clang.

“Ooh, now this got interesting. What now, Y/n?” Knockout asks as he presses on, getting closer to her and looking her in the eye with a smug smile.

“I have _no_ idea,” Y/n admits before pushing back and hitting the middle point of the mech’s weapon, making him take a step back from the force and using that opportunity to take a couple of steps back herself.

“You just missed an opening,” the medic chides smoothly, “Not complaining, though, the less work I have to do the better.”

The young woman gives a shrug before her attention is once again on Breakdown, who – while not as fast as Knockout – has an advantage of being incredibly strong. Each time he misses Y/n and his hand-held hammers hit the floor or wall with a thunderous sound, she realises that she’d rather take a few hits from the medic than miss one from this guy. The two soon start attacking her in tandem, their movements practiced and polished and Y/n would’ve admired them more if she wasn’t busy stepping and jumping out of the way.

“So, you plan on attacking?” Breakdown grins as Y/n finds herself standing on his outstretched arm after an especially acrobatic dodge.

“Why should I? Until now, the two of you weren’t exactly a threat,” the young woman finally responds with something playful as she looks down at him. He has a point, though - her words just now were more aggressive than anything she had thrown at the mechs physically.

“Oh you did _not,”_ she hears Knockout’s offended voice behind herself and jumps out of the way, behind Breakdown, the medic's weapon swinging above the blue mech's servo where her ankles were a moment ago. Looking from behind the bruiser, Y/n allows herself a teasing wink at Knockout before the pair is on her again. The young woman moves out of the way in fluent, quick movements – it’s almost like a dance. One with the added risk of being smacked. She’s not exactly _there_ yet to bring herself to swing at them with the intention to actually hit and, besides, if she fights back against one - the other one will have a clear shot at her. Y/n knows well not to get careless – even if she’s currently faster and able to use human self-defence tricks on them, Knockout and Breakdown have literally millions of years of experience on her. If she gives them an opening, she’ll get hit and it will hurt.

 

Eventually, though, their little contest morphs into all of them showing off their respective talents against holographic drones that all look like a featureless humanoid-robotic forms. This, well _this_ is easier to be aggressive towards. It’s also nice to be fighting beside her friends and not against them.

“There’s no harm in sparring,” Breakdown tells her as he smashes through enemies with a huge smile on his face, his hammer taking off half a body in one swing, making it fall apart,  “It's good for ya.”

“I know I know,” Y/n responds, dodging to the side and smacking a drone on the head, sending it crashing onto the floor, “I’m just not used to it.”

She steps out of the way and a couple of disintegrating frames land where she was just standing, the blue mech’s strikes so powerful that Y/n gets to see the literal embodiment of the phrase ‘send them flying’ – training dummies flung left and right every time Breakdown’s hammers find their mark. The young woman jumps up and onto a drone’s shoulders, taking off its and the nearest one’s heads before jumping down as the drone’s body under her begins to crumble into blue holographic particles.

“Yeah, we kinda noticed,” Breakdown informs her with a good-natured laugh as he takes a drone by its helm and throws it into a group of others, “At least you’re not too scared hitting these guys.”

“Well, doll, you want us to give you some lessons? Fair warning, won’t be too fun when you eventually _do_ get smacked during training,” Knockout offers and warns, expertly spinning his Energon prod in his servos and taking out two drones with a quick thrust and a swing back. Y/n is actually very impressed by that move, by how clean and effortless it looked when executed by the cherry red mech.

“I’d like to. Not very useful against cybertronians, but I _do_ want to learn to do the cool thing that you just did,” the girl admits, ducking out of the way of a drone’s punch and kicking it, sending it flying into the one behind it. Breakdown finishes those guys off by bringing both his hammers down, ending the short simulation. ‘I’d also want to actually know what I’m doing in case I need to fight humans again,’ she adds in her mind, remembering how terrifying it was to face the mercenaries with no practice or knowledge on how to dispatch human enemies. Cybertronian proxy or not, genetic abilities could only get her so far.

“Hmm, flattery will open all kinds of doors for you,” Knockout smirks as he walks up to them and leans on his Energon prod while looking at her smugly. Breakdown seems excited by the idea – then again, Y/n shouldn’t be surprised - he is one of the few officers on the Nemesis who take the time to improve the soldiers’ skills, after all. The medic spots the fire in his partner’s optics and shakes his helm before offering:

“For now, maybe you need a bit more time getting used to hitting stuff. Want to raise the difficulty a bit…?”

The chief medical officer brings up the menu holoscreen - the room fills with enemies yet again and, for a moment, it’s overwhelming how many of them there are. The young woman takes a deep breath and braces herself, looking over the training dummies as the staff in her hands elongates into a spear. She then feels the touch of metal to her shoulder – Breakdown nudges her with a grin and Knockout’s Energon prod crackles, blue sparks dancing on its end as the doctor winks at her. Y/n finds herself smiling back at the two immediately as she is reminded that this is just some fun with friends and nods at Knockout to start the program.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“And what is that?”

Y/n looks from the centre of the room where she was practicing over to where her cabin is. Megatron is standing on the porch, looking over her – or, rather what she has in her hands. Judging by the fact that anyone could recognise that the thing in her hands is a spear, the young woman knows that the question actually means ‘Why do you have a spear?’. She wonders whether the mech is in the mood to start trouble again and hopes that he isn’t, offering Megatron a friendly smile in greeting.

“I’ve asked Knockout to 3D-print one for me. I’ve been having fun in the CSR recently and got curious what kind of weapon I could comfortably use to mess around with the guys,” she explains, “So far, I’ve learned to spin it like this…”

The young woman spins the thin metal spear in her right hand as the warlord approaches, looking over her and the weapon with scrutiny.

“You have been training? For what purpose?” the mech questions as he towers over her, optics intense as they search hers. Y/n isn’t affected, though, shrugging and keeping a pleasant tone and an amiable expression on her face.

“It’s fun. Also - healthy exercise. Also, _also_ – might come in handy if I ever need to defend myself against humans. Again.”

Megatron doesn’t seem convinced, his optics narrowing.

“You have the ability to scare organics off by your mere presence.”

“And that’s my go-to plan. That and a gun,” she explains, sighing and putting a hand on her hip while the other one holds onto the spear, “But – and I know you probably don’t remember the feeling – it’s a nerve wracking experience to go against someone without any idea what a real fight is and how your body should move.”

It’s hard for the warlord to counter that, Y/n knows. He may have the illogical drive to a lot argue recently, but he always, always agreed Y/n should take steps that would make her safer. The mech looks over her for a bit more and the left corner of his mouth twitches, lowering as he frowns.

“Perhaps. Your choice of teachers is poor, however.”

“They offered, I agreed. As I’ve said, it’s mostly just hanging out, but with the benefit of me learning something,” the young woman looks up at his crimson optics calmly.

“You think those idiots can really teach you something useful?” the warlord hmphs.

 

Well then, it is clear that he is in the mood to find _something_ to be displeased about. 

 

“Megatron, I’m all for deserved or joking insults, but what problem can you possibly have with me learning some stuff from Knockout and Breakdown? You yourself told me that they have their techniques polished. Knockout especially can offer me advice on fighting opponents who are larger than myself,” Y/n says, keeping her voice even while she looks into the red optics inquisitively. What, will he find anything wrong with that logic?

“Do whatever you want, Y/n,” the mech says slowly and she can just feel that she got him beat with facts and how he’s brewing in his own irritation because of it, “But do not come complaining to me when that coward messes up your training enough to throw any potential you had out of the airlock.”

“Megatron,” the young woman takes a deep breath, leaning just a bit in his direction as she studies his face, “I don’t think it will be that bad.”

The Decepticon lord rolls his optics and gives her one of the most unenthusiastic looks she’s ever seen. Y/n gives a short, breathy laugh of exasperation as she lets her free hand fall at her side.

“These are _your_ officers. Logically, the only ones who are more qualified to teach me are Soundwave and you yourself. And the former doesn’t have a holomatter avatar last I checked.”

“So?”

“...So?”

 

They stare at each other, the silence between them tense. 

 

“Megatron, it’s not like I sat down, wondered who I should pick to teach me and went ‘Oh definitely not Megatron, I’ll pick his medic to spite him!’.”

“You should have asked me.”

“I wasn’t planning on asking anyone. They offered a few days ago, I agreed. That’s all there is,” the young woman stands her ground, getting a bit annoyed that there is even an argument about something that shouldn’t warrant one, “Besides. You are currently _busy_ , Megatron. It’s not an accusation, it’s a fact. Or are you proposing to teach me once you come back?”

Neither the mech’s stance or expression change, but Y/n feels the atmosphere get even tenser. Megatron’s been strange when it came to discussing his return and _Y/n really wished he’d just explain what has been going on with him._ Finally, the warlord comes to some sort of decision and straightens his back, looking at her spear and then back on her.

“I am here now and you were training before I came over. If you wish it, I could...give you some pointers now.”

The young woman doesn’t bother hiding how the mech’s change of attitude is somewhat confusing and concerning to her, looking over him with a mix of curiosity and thoughtfulness. Then, she nods slowly.

“Sure,” she agrees, feeling how her heartrate picks up from the realisation that Megatron would be teaching her. The mech is literally a legend, his talent in combat was unparalleled, honed to perfection by the gladiatorial pits of Kaon and centuries upon centuries of war. Getting pointers from him would be priceless. Also, even though she’s still both worried and not exactly pleased with the warlord right now, it was nice to know he was willing to teach her.

“You might want to put that away for now,” Megatron nods to the spear in her hand, “I’d like you evaluate you first.”

“Oh, a test, huh?... _Huh,”_ the young woman says as she throws the spear to the side, after that giving a quiet, involuntary nervous chuckle. That small display of nervousness seems to somehow affect the mech, because he looses the attitude, his features relaxing a bit as he speaks:

“Do not worry, I just need understand what I am working with. After all, you do not usually use force on me.”

 _“'Usually',”_ Y/n smiles, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg as she lifts an eyebrow. An amused smile appears on Megatron’s face. It’s nice to finally see him smiling again.

“I remember you trying to keep me down on the bed while you yourself stayed on top of me,” he smirks.

“I remember you enjoying the challenge,” Y/n replies smoothly and they stay quiet for a moment, looking at each other knowingly and with playful affection.

“Now then,” the warlord says, looking at Y/n with curiosity, “Prepare yourself. Dodge.”

 

Both of them chuckle because both of them know Y/n is far faster than Megatron right now, so unless he fought her seriously and thought up of some clever way to get around her advantage, there wasn’t much danger for her if he just swung at her. Same with Y/n – without a weapon, there was little she could do to damage a scaled-down version of the former gladiator. She would just break her hand trying to punch the holomatter metal - her enhanced strength didn’t exactly make her body any less flesh and bone after all. There’s also another thing that keeps Y/n ready and willing to let Megatron teach her. Out of everyone, Megatron has the greatest control over his holomatter frame and Y/n has no doubt that - whatever he does – he is always in control of the situation.

So, Y/n nods and braces herself. Megatron waits for a moment, looking over her before taking a quick step forward and swinging with his left servo. The decision to go with his non-dominant servo is a clever surprise, but it doesn’t make much difference as Y/n quickly ducks and takes a few steps to the side. She has a bounce to her step and Y/n can feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins – she felt the rush of air above her head, she knows well how powerful Megatron is. Even if he’s just essentially playing around right now, it’s enough to set her body to high alert. Red optics focus on her and Megatron swings at her again as he takes a couple of large steps towards her. She jumps back, her eyes glued to his frame as she's observing, trying to analyse and predict his moves. She’s seen vids of Megatron fighting – both in the gladiatorial combat and on the battlefield, so her brain is currently crawling with anxiousness like a disturbed anthill.

“Nervous?” the mech teases, smirking at her as he comes up to her and it’s in these kinds of situations that Y/n remembers how damn tall he is even in holoform.

“Would you be insulted if I said ‘no’?” she asks with a quick smile as she jumps back again just as another strike misses her.

“I would not believe you,” the warlord informs smugly and Y/n can’t help but roll her eyes and chuckle at that. Of course he sees she’s not used to this, the aft, but he goes and teases her anyway! He is also deliberately chasing her into a corner, all this talking didn’t distract her from noticing that. Being aware of her surroundings was something Y/n, thankfully, was good that. So, when the heel of her foot hits the wall behind her, Y/n momentarily sways to the right before rushing forward, evading Megatron and slipping under his arm as quickly as her body let her. She even dares to knock twice on his back before jumping a bit – okay,  _a fair_ distance – away when the warlord quickly turns, swiping at her.

“Hey hey hey _hey…”_ the young woman mutters with a nervous smile as she continues stepping back, looking at the warrior, “I did good, right?”

“Oh?” Megatron asks as he stands to his full size before giving her a predatory grin, showing off sharp dentas, “You thought that was all?”

With that, he charges towards her and Y/n gives an anxious ‘Yieep!’ before being made to work in earnest as Megatron is as unrelenting and as inventive in his attempts to get her as only he can. He keeps her at it for more than an hour, at a pace that would make even the most enduring of humans collapse. It gets easier not to scream internally every time Megatron so much as moves in her direction, but Y/n knows not to get careless. Especially since this…is kind of fun. Especially now that she’s acclimated enough to engage in some banter with the mech.

 

“A spear is actually not a bad weapon should you decide to use one,” he shares as he straightens his frame after a lunge at her, “You have a chance to harm a cybertronian’s optic with one in an emergency.”

“Yeah, well, I don't think my first instinct would be to grab a spear during an emergency,” Y/n chuckles, taking the time to catch her breath a little, “Or do you want to bring Starscream over? I usually practice my superb cybertronian-optic-hunting skills on him.”

The Decepticon lord actually laughs at that a bit and it makes her very hopeful to hear it.

“Ah, Y/n. I will think on that whenever he annoys me too much,” the mech says before taking a few steps towards her, testing her nerve. Y/n stays in place for now, wondering what he’ll do next, “Did you have any other ideas as to what weapons you would want to try out?”

He looms over her, red optics looking down as he just stands there, keeping her on edge. Y/n shrugs, not believing the warlord’s motionless frame for a second.

“Not sure, will probably try out everything the CSR has to of- !”

 

The mech moves suddenly, but not quickly enough to catch her off-guard. Pulling a stunt she had earlier practiced on Breakdown, Y/n is now standing on the warlord’s armguard, allowing herself a smug smile.

“…has to offer.”

“That so?” the Decepticon lord asks, looking her over before – instead of bringing his arm down like Breakdown would in a similar situation – swings his arm up with considerable force, sending Y/n flying up for a good several meters. The young woman quickly reacts by flipping herself in the air so she can land safely on her feet and, as she does, she catches Megatron smirking approvingly while his optics look all over her body. Y/n knows the look and she can’t help but smile and raise an eyebrow.

The next time the mech is close, Y/n makes a point of dragging a hand over the side of his chassis as she slides out of the way of a hit. It wasn’t exactly easy for Y/n herself to stay on track all this time, too. Megatron looks at her in questioning amusement, as if to ask ‘Yes?’ even though he already knew the answer. She just smirks and looks over his frame as she keeps stepping back while he approaches. She’s walking towards a wall again. And, when her shoulder blades press into the cool metal of said wall, Y/n smiles. Megatron stands in front of her, his optics glowing brightly. He starts raising his servo and, after the last hour, her body instinctively flinches even though Y/n herself knows that training has already ended. The mech notices the tiny movement, however. Of course he does. His servo stills for a moment, his gaze locked on Y/n as he studies her expression. The young woman gives him an inviting smile. There is a very small, relieved kind of look on Megatron’s face that she glimpses just before his lips are on hers, his servos are in her hair and on her waist, and his abdominal vents are pushing warm air against her body. Her own hands are immediately on her lover, caressing and teasing and pulling him closer as the hot, impatient kisses they share make her head spin and her heart race.

Her back slides up the wall as Megatron lifts her up and her legs immediately find the comfortable, familiar place around his waist while she continues kissing the mech’s face. When she pauses, he looks at her, his scorching red optics glowing an with passion that is almost scary in how intense it is. It sends shivers up Y/n’s back as she stares back at him with, no doubt, the same borderline mad look in her eyes. In the eye of the hurricane, they look over each other silently, with almost animalistic possessive adoration. The warlord makes a husky, borderline growling sound of affection as he holds her close, pressing his forehead against hers and Y/n’s reply as she presses back is a tender, breathy croon. Then, the storm is back - both of them kissing and licking, tugging and clawing and trying to get as much of each other as possible with gasps, moans, growls and whines filling the room.

 

  

 

***

 

 

 

“Megatron, I’m not trying to doubt your judgement,” Y/n reminds as both of them are looking over a holographic map on the warlord’s desk. The mech frowns, disbelief and irritation in his voice.

“It indeed looks like that you are,” he says, by now dangerously close to getting angry in earnest.

They’ve been discussing the best way to fight the Autobots should the battle take place in the conditions of the area where a recently discovered mine was. That place was India, at a remote area to the northwest from the city of Gandhinagar, almost on the very border with Pakistan. Usually, Megatron is willing to listen to insights on Earth Y/n decides to offer him, since he – again, usually – is very open to using any and all means to gain the upper hand in a fight against Prime.  Right now, however, he stubbornly refuses to listen to anything she says. Y/n could have let it go, but this time it could not only be useful in a combat situation, but also for general safety of the miners.

“I’m not, would you just try listening to me-“ she tries again, but the mech interrupts her.

“I have already considered everything you have to say, Y/n. Flood or no flood - the Decepticons have mined on worlds that are far harsher than yours. As to the other idea – that would involve me going out of my way to lead the Autobots after me. I have no interest in making Prime give chase, I would rather engage him on the spot.”

Y/n nods, glaring at the mech, who immediately scowls.

“Yes, I interrupted you. But only because you were going to repeat yourself.”

The young woman raises an eyebrow, staying silent, and the mech snarls. Megatron has a much more flammable temper than she does and his recent mood swings aren’t exactly helping. Y/n would have rather he just tell her what his deal was, because by now it was really messing with him and their ability to communicate. But there were more important things right now. So she begrudgingly lets it go to continue.

“I wasn’t telling you that you _should_ lead Prime there, I told you the information so you knew that you _could_ do that if you were in the area. Or if your soldiers needed a plan B in case you weren’t there.”

 

The idea is both simple and easy to miss. The Energon mine is located in a place where the soil is arid and in general mostly a desert. For most of the year, that is. Approximately from July to October the area gets flooded severely and, because it was currently the 21st of September, the area was basically a place full of water and mud. Y/n had gone scouting there briefly and Neil had told her about the conditions in the mines – while the tech his crew brought onto the site prevented any mine collapses due to environmental circumstances, there was still a high possibility of whole tunnels collapsing if there was a fight there and the supporting structures got damaged. The young woman had theorised that, since this particular mine’s layout was such that the tunnels were close to the surface and widespread, one could collapse those tunnels under the Autobots with relative ease if necessary. Also, the currently unstable soil could be used to slow the enemy bots down in one knew to look out and scan for mud pits that were obscured by murky flooded waters.

 

Megatron glares at her in silence. Y/n feels incredibly stupid because she has no idea if she just missed something in her research or in her chain of thought for Megatron to be so opposed to her ideas or if the mech just has something against her personally that makes him doubt everything she says. She wonders again if maybe this would be a good time for yet another try at getting him to talk abou what is troubling him, but it’s then that the Decepticon lord’s face changes and Y/n knows that expression. She knows it and she starts to panic a little. They haven’t quite expected the Autobots to show up this quickly.

“The mine is under attack,” the mech tells her as he gets up from his chair, his frame throwing a large shadow over his desk and Y/n who is still standing on it next to the holomap of the area. The young woman is torn for a moment, but her worry gets the upper hand this time as she tries again:

“Megatron-“

He looks at her in indignation and she can feel an already displeased and battle-ready Megatron fill up with anger at her insistent refusal to leave the topic be.

“Do you really believe _you_ know best? Do you, Y/n?” he asks, his tone angry and challenging, with a hint of mockery. The mech then narrows his optics as he leans down, his tone painfully aggressive in its fake inciting, “Very well. Then say it. Tell me that you know better than I do and I will do as you say. However, know that the lost lives of my soldiers will be on _your_ conscience.”

Y/n feels everything inside of her tense and shudder. Megatron knew exactly where to strike her. She stays silent as she looks back at the mech disapprovingly. He straightens his back again, a look of superiority on his face.

“I thought as much.”

“You know I don’t think I would ever know more about war than you. I just asked you to consider an idea. You usually don’t have problems with that,” Y/n says as steadily as she can manage as she looks at the warlord coldly. He rolls his optics.

“I told you I have.”

“Did you?” she asks and both of them know he hasn’t. Megatron growls, clenching his dentas. Of course, his pride is probably making him livid that someone had unapologetically called him out on a lie. Y/n herself is far from okay emotionally. It’s unlike Megatron to lie to her, especially on things like this. It’s unlike him to be deliberately aggressive, distant and flat out mean to her. Y/n has no idea what is happening with him or if the problem really somehow lies with her, but this is not the time and place and that was also something the both of them know.

“I need to go now,” the mech tells her as he turns around and starts walking towards the door.

“Of course,” the young woman sighs, but this time in worry, knowing where he is headed, “Whatever you decide to do, please be careful.”

“I know how to command my troops, Y/n,” the warlord snaps, his voice hard and accusatory as he completely misses the point of her words. ‘How…? Fucking idiot,’ the girl thinks to herself in a flash of indignation, but tries again, the knowledge of the risks of war keeping her on track:

“Not what I meant,” she says and crosses her arms. The mech is standing at the door and not leaving just yet, so at least he’s listening.

“I will worry about you. Be safe, Megatron,” she tells him simply, her tone serious. She doesn’t say anything else, not wanting to delay the mech anymore.

The door opens in front of the Decepticon lord and there is a brief moment where he she thinks she sees his helm starting to turn for Megatron to look at her. But it never happens. Instead, he just nods and walks out, the door sliding shut behind him and leaving Y/n in complete silence.

 

And, in this silence, the sound of her facepalming is all the more audible.

 

 

***

 

 

 

It has been a... _difficult_ orn for Megatron. In the beginning of the Earth month of September he had told Y/n that he would be leaving for a somewhat prolonged – at least relative to human time - expedition. His lover took it well, even though she did admit that she would miss him. He assured her that the separation would be hard on him as well. Even harder on him than on her, really, Megatron realised. Unlike Y/n, the mech had a particular issue to worry about, something that Y/n was oblivious of. The danger of his lover being exposed to all the lies he had so carefully wrapped some parts of his and his planet’s history in.

He was not an optimist, preferring to mentally prepare himself for the worst possible scenario. There were just so many possibilities of something going wrong. Someone’s unfortunate slip of glossa would be enough for Y/n to start looking into things. Or could it be that her time alone would give her time to reflect on everything Megatron had ever told her and find some inconsistency in his narrative that he himself missed?

 

He was being paranoid, he told himself. Oh but he also knew that life just loved to turn exactly the worst way sometimes.

 

Imagining the situation even once was enough to make his spark throb painfully. Just…Returning to the Nemesis, going through the motions of being greeted by his soldiers and officers and then finding out that Y/n has left due to uncovering the truth. Or has been detained trying to escape. Whatever the case, it is not important how she gets to find out or how she gets brought before him, but the way she would treat him. The clash of what he would be hoping to come back to and what he would be met with instead. Megatron has no illusions in this regard. If in his absence Y/n found out about what he lied to her about and what he omitted telling her altogether, all he would get upon returning would be the kind of treatment Y/n would give someone who betrayed her trust and was a direct threat to her planet. No longer would he get to see her gentle smile or the affectionate gaze of her e/c eyes, hear her laugh or her soft, soothing voice. Gone would be their shared mornings and evenings, days spent out exploring Y/n’s planet and nights spent stargazing and talking on the Nemesis’s flight deck. The heat of Y/n’s passionate embrace, the intoxicating touch of her lips and the tender look she would give him as both of them enjoyed the afterglow of their lovemaking. The discussions and highgrade evenings, lazy mornings and remarks about the blue glowing tea, just those momentary touches of her lips to his chin, the side of his helm or his cheek…Everything. _Everything._ Y/n’s voice, scent, warmth, her thoughts, her feelings, her time. Everything would be lost to him. Of course, he would keep her on board, detain her, see if she could be convinced to see reason…

But he didn’t even go that far in his thoughts. What was on his mind was just imagining that moment of coming back and encountering his lover not as he remembered, not as he left her, not as he hoped to see her again, but as someone who views him as a threat and a disappointment. To come back and be met with utter rejection.

Rejection. The word, the thought - it messed with his spark, it was frustrating, infuriating. There was no fault of Y/n’s in it, his lover was oblivious to the reasons for his irritation and Megatron was the reason she stayed so, rejecting her offers to talk each time. Part of him was furious with himself for doing so, but his habits told him he should deal with this on his own. In fact, maybe it was a good thing to keep his distance -  maybe then it wouldn’t be as painful if he came back to Y/n rejecting him. Sure the young woman is all understanding and caring now, but potentially…

 

That was when he started provoking her. What was he trying to achieve by it? Was he trying to get back at her for making him feel this torn, this _worried_ about leaving? Was he trying to get her mad at him to get a glimpse at what to expect from her should his fea- his _concerns_ come true?

 

The closer the date of his departure is, the worse it gets. At some point, the remarks his lover makes start sounding… _off_ to him. He starts looking at her words through a prism of how Y/n would mean it if she already knew of his deception. As if she knew and so had reason to doubt him, to judge him, to hide her criticisms under seemingly simple statements. It is not all the time, but when it happens, it takes a lot to keep his temper at bay. Sometimes, he slips up and realises his mistake somewhere midway through an argument. Things seem off, but he has been so busy lately that he has no wish to pick his processor - it only results in him having trouble recharging and ruins his mood.

Since he has been having trouble recharging, he sometimes has been going to see Y/n, watch her sleep. It calms him. If she happens to wake up and invite him into bed, he gladly joins, his earlier decision to keep his distance overruled by how truly unparalleled Y/n's precense was in helping his mind quiet down and fall into recharge. He cherishes Y/n, more than his processor deems it safe to. Maybe this is why the future, the uncertainty of it, paired with the abundance of things to do, is messing with him so much. Still. Still, he cannot keep his servos off Y/n, he tries to remember everything about her before he leaves. It is incredibly frustrating, switching between both wanting to distance himself for self-preservation and just wanting to spend time with his lover, shower her with gifts and affection, let her remember him well and enjoy her company fully before he leaves.

 

The 21th of September comes around.

 

He knows Y/n is right from the start. The young woman is usually very careful with her advice and suggestions, he knows she is extremely conscious of the responsibility that he bears and the decisions he makes. So she does her research thoroughly before ever suggesting anything to him on military matters. It only takes a look at the data provided by the recon squad, the mining supervisor and Y/n to realise that the information will be very much of use in case the Autobots attack.

So why does he dismiss it?

He stands on principle, on doing this without Y/n’s contribution, his agitation over his imminent departure only making things worse. They had made him very prone to anger and it takes seemingly nothing to light same anger up. Somehow, Y/n’s proposition, her insistence on him considering using the data is interpreted by him as her doubting his skill and his value as a commander. By the time he realises that he had misread her words, it is already too late and he is mid-mocking her about her overconfidence, about daring to question him. His skill to put others back into their place with sharp words is well honed and he sees the look of surprise and disappointment on Y/n’s face. His pride makes him keep his expression unchanged, but there is a pit starting to quickly form in his chassis the more he realises how clouded he allowed his judgement to become. Even worse, he let his anger out on Y/n for something she only did in his mind. This was very bad, this was not who he was. Not with her.

 

He needs to go, he has to go at once. There is a battle to fight, everything else…he will deal with everything else later.

 

“I need to go now,” the mech tells her as he turns around and starts walking towards the door.

“Of course,” he hears her sigh. So, she _is_ disappointed in him. She has the right to be. He grits his teeth. The whole situation he got himself in, the fact the Prime was – as always – in the way of his plans…it feeds his anger, making it grow and grow. Megatron tries to strangle his rage, push it aside until he is on the battlefield. He should say something to Y/n before going out. He starts to think before he hears her voice again:

“Whatever you decide to do, please be careful,” Y/n reminds. The mech stops in front of the door. The thought of her worrying about his troops is still fresh in his mind and the anger is burning bright inside of him. And so, he replies with the first thing that comes to mind:

“I know how to command my troops, Y/n,” he reminds her harshly. His pride praises him – after all, no one should be able to tell _him_ what to do. But that feeling is momentary, because there’s this thought that he might have-

“Not what I meant,” Y/n tells him and Megatron understands that he had just made the same mistake all over again, making a fool of himself. The mech is standing at the door as the full weight of what a dimspark he had been dawns on him fully again. ‘Be careful’ wasn’t an order or accusation, it was _a peace offering_ , a reminder that – even after the heated argument they just had - his life is precious in Y/n’s eyes, that she wants him to return safely. It was obvious. He should have seen it, he usually does. He was so lost in his own mind that all this time he was fighting Y/n in an argument the young woman had no idea even existed. Damn fool. The realisation is enough to shut him up as he stares at the door in front of himself.

“I will worry about you. Be safe, Megatron,” the young woman clarifies and he wishes she hadn’t, because it only highlights his glaring mistake. It stings on an almost physical level to know like how much of an imbecile he must look to Y/n right now.

The door opens in front of the Decepticon lord and there is a brief moment where he thinks he has something to say…but he does not. Not right now. Instead, he just nods and walks out, the door sliding shut behind him. Megatron forces himself to push everything else aside for now – after all, he has Autobots to take care of. He will think of how to handle this situation once he is back.

 

 

***

 

 

 

Muddled water and upturned soil shoot up as Megatron lands on the ground and slides back, his pedes dragging over the submerged earth and leaving deep furrows in it. The warlord looks up and raises his right arm, his blade ready to block Prime’s as the leader of the Autobots jumpes right after him from the hill they fought on before. Their blades collide before the Prime’s pedes even hit the ground and sparks fly from the impact. The metal of the blades screeches as Megatron immediately pushes back, forcing his opponent to take a step back and block when the Decepticon lord quickly swings at him.

Around them, Prime’s Autobots are combating the Decepticons. Breakdown is fighting with Bulkhead and Megatron doesn’t know or care who of them slipped first, but by now they are rolling on the ground and punching each other like a giant mud-coated metal ball. As long as Breakdown remembers his instructions, Megatron does not care if he decides to eat that dirt he is rolling around in. The other Autobots are kept busy by Megatron’s forces, the Decepticon air superiority coming in very handy in a flooded environment. The water only comes up to Megatron’s and Prime’s ankle joints, but for smaller frames such as those of Autobots Bumblebee and – especially – Arcee, it is an influential factor, slowing down their movements.

Optimus rolls out of the way of Megatron’s swing and then rolls back, raising up water, rocks and mud as he does. The Earth’s dirt and muddy water runs down his frame as the enemy commander begins standing up from his crouched position and it amuses the Decepticon lord considerably.

“How unbecoming of a Prime,” he says with a breathy laugh, “Come now, Optimus, quit this pointless struggle. Surrender and I will free you from any more disgrace.”

“You know I will _never_ surrender, Megatron,” his brother says as he rises to his full height, his blue optics shining defiantly, “You could have ended all of this unnecessary fighting long ago if you were not so prideful.”

“And what? Offer Cybertron to you on a platinum platter? Live under Autobot law? I do not think so,” the warlord mocks before his blade retracts and his fusion cannon activates. He points it at the Autobot and the latter darts to the side, bringing online his own ion cannons. Megatron was first to the draw, however, and so he shoots first.

 

He shoots right under the Prime’s pedes.

 

The look of surprise and confusion on his enemy’s faceplate when the ground shakes and then collapses under him is priceless - a crack in his usual stoic, self-righteous demeanor, even if the warlord could only see half of the Prime's face due to the battle mask. Megatron enjoys the moment as clay, black soil, sand, rocks and water quickly swallow the mech up to his chassis and continue pulling him in. He hears Arcee call out to her commander, but it’s then that the ground shakes violently again. It seems like even he would have felt that, the warlord thinks as he watches from the air, having transformed into his alt mode just before the detonation. The ground under the other Autobots collapses immediately and from where Megatron is watching he can see clearly what a neat little line his forces positioned them into beforehand. His soldiers – those of them who weren’t careless – are in the air with him and his enemies fell right through the ground into the underground tunnel, surrounded by rubble and flood water. It is a beautiful sight and Megatron allows himself a moment to savour it, to enjoy the fruit of both his and Y/n’s labour. Oh if only Prime knew who was instrumental to organising his literal downfall today.

Megatron knew well that being buried by some mud would not be enough to get rid of the Autobots, however. The section of the tunnel they fell in had already been stripped clean of Energon and sealed off, but Prime was smart and the warlord had seen him get out of far more perilous situations. The scans are unable to show any Autobot life signs, but – then again – there is a reason cloaking technology exists. Megatron has four million years of experience that tell him that prematurely celebrating Optimus’s demise is a foolish idea. The Autobots are persistent - like technoroaches, they would find a way.

The Decepticon lord stays at the location of the mine for a while, issuing orders for the miners to resume work, the soldiers to guard the sealed-off area of the mine and comb through the collapsed area in case some Autobot would be stupid enough to try and resurface. He walks through the part of the mine that is currently worked on, looking over everything with an experienced but barely interested optic. The mining supervisor Y/n likes is there and Megatron spares him a glance, making the mech obviously nervous as he stops issuing orders and immediately stands at attention.

“Keep increased security at all times,” Megatron tells him.

“Yes, my lord!” the Vehicon whose last symbols of designation are ‘N31L’ nods and salutes.

“Continue on,” the warlord allows and watches the mech do just that.

He stays for a while longer and watches everyone work before, having made sure everything is in order, walking out of the mine. The low-energy force field that keeps the water from the surface from flooding the cave is doing its job well. Not wanting to walk through any more of Earth’s dirt today if not necessary, Megatron stays within the field’s borders near the entrance to the mine as he orders a status update. His soldiers – as ordered – are still searching through the area to the far east, where the collapsed tunnel is. Good. The entrance to the tunnel is secured - also good. Though the warlord doubts Prime would consider going that way. Prime cares for his subordinates far too much (and has too many of them on servo as is) for that.

 

Finally, Megatron orders a groundbridge to be opened and leaves the area. Back on the command bridge the Nemesis, he is met with Soundwave, who is standing at the main terminal and Starscream, who is quick to hurry to the warlord’s side as the latter emerges from the groundbridge.

“Ah, Lord Megatron, you are back!” the seeker says in a poor imitation of joyous excitement, “Excellent plan, sire. Down in the mud of this wretched planet is where the Autobots belong.”

Megatron walks past the silver mech without sparing him a glance and approaches his throne, sitting down and picking up a datapad, wondering what has been sent to him by Soundwave. He also sends a quick message to Y/n via comm link – she may be busy in the medbay and still angry at him, but he had given her his word to always notify her whenever he returned, after all. His disinterest doesn’t discourage Starscream, however, because he continues to talk:

“We can hope that some of them have perished, but I don’t think we are as fortunate. Still, they surely will remember the humiliation! I, as you may have noticed, was the one to lure the Autobots Arcee and Cliffjumper right where you wanted them.”

The Decepticon lord lifts his gaze off the information on his datapad and looks at his second-in-command in consideration and expectation. The seeker flashes him a smug smirk. As Megatron continues to look at him, the mech’s gradually starts getting nervous under his heavy gaze.

“Anything _else_ to report?” the warlord inquires, making sure that his tone is enough for Starscream to know that he did not say anything of value until now. Starscream frowns.

“No, sire. Though, a reminder. Seekers are not best suited for ground combat, especially that in dirt. Ugh. I humbly advise you to consider that next time we have to do battle on this disgusting planet,” the mech says, his faceplate going through expression of displeasure, exasperation and disgust as he spoke. It changes to alarm when Megatron’s optics narrow and the warlord speaks, his voice steady yet low and with considerable threat to it:

“And _I_ advise _you,_ Starscream, to remember that your duty is to follow my orders, _whatever_ conditions I deem it necessary to send you into. Should you prove unable to perform, you will get a reminder of how much I dislike incompetence.”

“Understood,” the seeker replies through his dentas, his heelstruts clanking on the floor as he steps away from the throne, “I will be on standby should you require me to go into battle again. I will gladly engage the Autobots and _finish the job_ on your behalf.”

The silver mech gestures dramatically and flexes his long, sharp digits and Megatron is momentarily torn between rolling his optics and just ignoring the display. It is obvious that the statement is for show.

“I can see how eager you are to return to the battlefield,” the Decepticon lord replies, looking over Starscream’s frame with scrutiny, “Considering that you already washed yourself even though you have been on board for maybe a breem longer than me. Did you already go over your squadron’s reports or were you busy searching for Autobots in the Nemesis’s showers?”

Starscream opens his intake, then closes it, then opens it again with an insulted look on his faceplate before shutting his intake again. He stares back at Megatron before talking:

“I...I-I wanted to make sure everyone had time to submit one, Lord Megatron.”

 

Sure, Starscream, _sure._

 

“I will notify you if there is anything of importance, my liege,” the seeker promises, taking a few more steps back from Megatron. By this point, he seems to be regretting approaching Megatron in the first place. Good. Because this - this just now - was a waste of several Earth minutes the steel-coloured mech is never getting back.

The Decepticon lord then gets a ‘Welcome back’ message from Y/n and, as he sits on his throne and watches everyone work, he asks her whether she is back at the cabin or not. As expected, she is not, currently assisting in the medbay. The situation doesn’t seem too dire in there, however, since Y/n was able to reply to him reasonably quickly. The warlord thinks to himself that her being in the medbay means that she already knows that Megatron had used the information provided by her, after all. He wonders what she thinks about that. Will he be met with an ‘I told you so’ once he visits her at her cabin?

By Unicron, this is embarrassing, he thinks as he allows himself to finally let the battle fall from the forefront of his mind and remembers what happened before he went out to fight Prime. So much for his image of a genius military strategist and a wise partner in Y/n’s eyes. The frustration feels like there is boiling oil inside his sparkchamber, coupled with his pride scratching on the outer side of the chamber as he replays his recent failings in his mind over and over, his optics watching over the data on the Nemesis’s holoscreens absentmindedly. Soundwave – being adept at sensing the changes in one’s EM field – turns away from the main terminal to give Megatron a quick look, but then returns back to work without any comment. Smart move. Speaking of smart…

 

“Lord Megatron, looking somewhat gloomy, my lord. Do you require a doctor, perhaps?”

 

…Knockout was sometimes the opposite of smart. Wait, doesn’t he have work to do? Does that mean Y/n has already left the medbay?

“Knockout,” the warlord says as the cherry red mech approaches with an annoying little smirk on his face.

“The one and only, my liege. Come to inquire if you require a medical scan,” the medic says, then weighs the pros and cons of voicing something before adding, “I could also prescribe a manicure and pedicure session. Very relaxing.”

Surely, Primus has cursed Megatron to have a ship almost exclusively full with idiots. The medic has judged correctly, however, that Megatron is in no mood to offline him today.

“I do not require any of it. Have you already finished in the medbay, doctor?” the Decepticon lord questions and Knockout seems to perk up at the realisation that he doesn’t have to do any extra work.

“Just finished, actually, came as fast as I could to check on you. Even though you didn’t call for me. I am just that caring. But if you have no need for me, I will be on my way?”

“Dismissed,” Megatron nods and Knockout is all too happy to leave, giving a little bow and strolling away. The doors behind him slide shut and the warlord calculates in his mind what Y/n could be doing now. Probably already reached her room. She usually takes a bath or a shower after assisting Knockout. Megatron imagines her coming out of the shower - her cheeks a little flushed, her damp hair falling onto the soft fabric of her bathrobe, warmth as well as the smell of something faintly sweet coming off her body. The image is vibrant in his mind - he knows how it is to see her that way, to touch her when she is like that, to have her press into him and make him feel right at home.

The mech stops himself and makes himself stay on track. Before he gets any of that, he would have to admit to his failings. He is _very_ bad at that. Y/n isn’t of the malicious type so Megatron doubts that she will make it more difficult for him than it already is, but he knows that she will also not accept him ‘brushing it under the rug’ as humans say. The only question is, for how long the process will drag out. Still, he had put Y/n through enough confusion to have to accept whatever she now has in store for him, be it scolding or questioning. He stays on the command bridge until he is certain that the possibility of new developments is slim, then departs to finally clean himself, letting the water and cleaning solvent run down his frame and wash away the dirt. The strong streams of liquid and then air make sure that he walks out of the decontamination chamber fully clean and it is nice to get the grime off finally. After, Megatron pours a few cubes of Energon down his intake, the battle having taking its toll on his energy reserves. He messages Y/n, asking whether she is home or not. She is. The mech asks if it is a good time for him to come by. She tells him that it is.

 

His holomatter avatar materialises in front of her door shortly after that. He instinctively listens closely for a moment. It is quiet inside. Might as well get this over with, he thinks as he pulls the handle down and enters the small house.

 

The Decepticon lord’s optics immediately locate her across the room, in front of a mirror. His confidant’s and partner’s back is turned to him as she brushes her hair – it has grown quite a bit over the past year, he thinks absentmindedly. The door closes behind him as the mech looks Y/n over. Her body is covered by a long silk robe, black in colour and tied around her delicate waist with a red ribbon. The young woman puts aside her brush and turns to face him, her eyes curious as they look over his frame and linger on his face. He is surprised when she smiles gently.

“Welcome home, Megatron,” she greets him again and this is already going not like he expected. He nods, studying her expression as he takes a couple of steps away from the door. Much like always, despite how they parted this time, his lover is relieved to see him again after a battle.

“Thank you,” he replies and decides to sit down on the couch, letting Y/n decide how close she wants him to be right now. The young woman watches him as she crosses her arms slowly, wordlessly waiting for him to speak. She is no longer smiling, but the warlord also senses no hostility.

“You seem happy to see me,” he observes, stating the obvious for some reason. 

“Of course I am,” the young woman admits easily with a nod, “I’m relieved you’re back, unharmed.”

Megatron nods. Even though the concept of a relationship such as this is still unusual for him, he understands what Y/n means. If the roles were reversed, he would be glad to see her back and well even if she had previously offended him. He doubts that he would be this calm, but he understands what this is. His gaze rests on the young woman as he takes a deep breath.

“Before I say anything else…I should not have acted the way I did,” he tells her and it doesn’t escape his optics how Y/n’s shoulders relax just a bit and her features soften. He continues:

“I will not offer excuses, but you were right in telling me I should tell you what was on my mind recently. If I did, things would have turned out differently.”

It is both easier and more difficult to speak right now. The words come to him easy, he knows what should be told, but it is like he has to hold down and choke his pride with every sentence he says. Still, Y/n gives him a slight, understanding nod and he speaks again:

“I know it must have been confusing, worrying for you. Looking back to the past couple of weeks, I…” the mech’s gaze shifts to the side and he takes a deep breath before looking at his partner once more, “I apologize, Y/n.”

“It was,” his lover agrees and though he already knew that it was, it is still unpleasant to hear that he had hurt her, “But these things happen. Apology accepted, of course. Nothing too drastic happened, after all, just a few misunderstandings.”

“If you wish to call it that,” the mech half-argues and Y/n’s calm façade cracks a bit as she gives a quiet and somewhat nervous chuckle. She takes a small step in his direction, he notices.

“You have been patient, given the circumstances. I can only imagine what went through your head,” he says.

“It’s not like you to act this way,” Y/n explains, her head inclined slightly to the right, “You do have quite the temper and we do differ in opinions sometimes, but this was different. I hoped if I gave you time, you would figure it out and hopefully also tell me sometime soon. You could say you have previously earned yourself an ‘emergency reserve’ of my patience.”

“Makes sense, I suppose,” Megatron nods before a frown appears on his face briefly, “Even still...”

“I told you, I forgive you,” the young woman tells him, taking another couple of steps towards him, making his servo instinctively flinch, trying to reach out, “Now, tell me, are you okay now?”

“I am,” he nods again, his optics looking over his lover as she comes up to him. The sides of her black robe part up to the middle of her thigh as she lifts her right leg and places her knee onto his lap, lifting her body and looking down at him in a way that makes the Energon in his body run hot.

“Will you later tell me what has been troubling you?” she asks, looking into his optics while her hands touch the base of his neck. 

“I will,” the mech promises as his left servo drags up Y/n’s bare leg, the warm, smooth s/c skin so wonderful to the touch, “Later?”

“A bit later,” a small, pleased smile adorns his lover’s lips and her hands drag up his neck unhurriedly before reaching his face. The warlord keeps his optics on the young woman, the feeling of her long delicate fingers getting under his helm and caressing the sides of his face sending shivers up his backstrut.

As the air around them feels heavy and his spark feels too hot in his sparkchamber, he wants to tell her to ask for anything she wishes. Surely, he can give her whatever will be enough to pay her for troubles. The mech stays silent for a moment longer, however, distracted by greedily watching his lover, and after that he doesn’t get the chance to speak, because Y/n gently traces his lower lip with her thumb. And the pleased, avaricious look she gets when his lips part slightly lets him know that she is as helpless as he is right now. He murmurs her name and leans up, bringing his lover closer and catching her lips with his. His dear Y/n presses against him as she kisses him back and they let themselves get lost in the passion they share, indulging in both giving and receiving pleasure until both their greedy natures are satisfied.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

“Hmm?” Y/n hums questioningly as she is lying on top of him, her arms folded over his chassis and her head resting on them.

“Four months is a long time in human terms,” Megatron points out, his index digit tracing invisible patterns on the bare skin of her back.

“No, it’s really not,” the young woman disagrees, raising her eyebrows slightly, “’Anything could happen in that time’ and ‘time sometimes changes one’s perspective’ are _very_ vague ways to put it, Megatron. Please elaborate.”

The mech wonders how he should spin this. He obviously cannot tell Y/n the full truth, so he settles on a half-truth instead.

“Perhaps, while I am away you will get a…less emotionally influenced perspective on your situation,” he says thoughtfully, “Tell me, can you confidently say that living on a warship, being constantly surrounded by military personnel and lacking the natural Earth environment are your ideal living conditions?”

His partner leans her head to one side and then to the other with a hum and gives a little shrug.

“You make it sound like I’m trapped here and not living doing whatever it is I please almost every single day. And whenever I do miss Earth’s nature or the occasional conversation with humans about human things - they’re a groundbridge away.”

“You are certainly _not_ trapped here,” the mech makes a point of confirming that before continuing, “Yet, with me away, you might have time to…think.”

 

Y/n looks at him inquisitively, seemingly both curious and a bit suspicious about his reasoning.

 

“So you were mad at me because you thought that the moment you return I could go ‘Oh you’re back, great, I’m moving out now’?”

“I was _not_ mad at you-“

“Don’t. You. Lie-To-Me,” the young woman chides somewhat playfully as she knocks lightly on his chassis with every word. It is frightening how insightful she is sometimes. The warlord is not sure if he should be impressed or unnerved by how close to his spark he had let her. He grumbles and the young woman smirks victoriously – the expression suits her, even if it currently makes him narrow his optics in slight annoyance.

“I didn’t quite catch that, dear.”

“The prospect was not pleasant, yes,” he admits and Y/n smirk changes to a much softer, understanding smile, “And yes, yes, I know I should have discussed it with you, should not have let it get this far, and so on and so on…No need to tell me.”

“Oh when have I ever been that much of a nag?” the young woman asks and Megatron can’t help but smirk at that little failing in his judgement. Indeed, she hasn’t.

“In any case,” the mech continues, “You are correct, that was what bothered me.”

To his surprise, Y/n sighs in relief.

“You thought it was something you did?” Megatron guesses and Y/n rolls her eyes, chuckling breathily.

“Well of course I did! Can you imagine being mostly sure that someone is mad at you but receiving no answer as to what you did wrong? Ah…It’s such a relief to know that you were bothered by the prospect of me going away and not the other way around.”

Megatron raises an optic ridge at the last statement. Y/n says nothing and gives him a shrug.

“No. Explain,” he demands, but it is more of a curtly-worded request. One of the mech’s servos now rests at the small of his lover’s back while the other is between her shoulder blades and he feels her back move as she gives another slow, small shrug.

“You said it yourself,” Y/n tells him, her eyes looking over his face thoughtfully, “’Time sometime changes one’s perspective’. We’ve been together for ten months now. Feelings change, sometimes unexpectedly so, I would not blame you if you-m!”

After his lips leave Y/n’s, he gives her a stern look before kissing her again, this time tuning them around in the process and supporting himself on his elbows as he lets his lover breathe. The young woman looks up at him, and though his actions had made her stop talking scrap, the mech will not be satisfied until he tears the thought out of her mind.

“I swear to you, you would know. Do not ever assume my feelings for you have changed until I tell you that is the case,” he tells her sternly and huskily as he hovers over her, almost insulted by her words. His lover seems reassured, but also amused by his passionate reaction and raises her hand to caress the side of his face as she replies:

“Right back at you.”

 

Oh the irony.

 

“You are intolerable sometimes,” Megatron tells her with a smirk, “Is this how you speak to a lord?”

“No, this is how I speak to a lover,” Y/n replies smoothly and the mech finds himself on his back at the next moment, with the young woman sitting on his abdominal plating, “Complaints?”

A grin appears on his face. He loves this woman so much.

“Good,” she tells him with a proud smile before giving a little giggle. Megatron looks up at her bare frame, one that has become so dear and familiar to him and yet just as alluring every time he saw it.

“Hmm, nonono,” Y/n tells him as she smiles a knowing smile and lies back down onto his chassis, “You still owe me the story of today’s battle.”

Oh _that_ he will gladly do. He has wanted to tell Y/n this since it happened, since he felt the satisfaction of seeing Prime fall through the ground. The Decepticon lord tells her everything in great detail, going so far as to sit up so he can properly gesture and Y/n sits in front of him, listening closely. He relishes how excited she is, how this small win seems to shine with a kaleidoscope of new colours now that he is telling her about it, how readily she joins his satisfied chuckling as they enjoy the victory their shared efforts have brought.

“Now, what would you like as reward for your assistance?” Megatron asks, his index digit carefully dragging up Y/n’s neck and ending up under her chin. The young woman tilts her head up and gives him a thoughtful look before closing her eyes and offering him her lips. Gladly, he obliges her and leans down. After his lips leave hers, he opens his optics to meet the gaze of pleased e/c eyes.

“That will suffice,” his lover tells him and he can’t help but raise and optic ridge.

“How humble,” he muses, giving the young woman a gentle scratch under her chin to which she half-closes her eyes in pleasure.

“You think?” Y/n asks, looking at him from under her eyelashes as she brings her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek and swiping a thumb over his lower lip slowly, “I would say I have something extremely valuable in my possession.”

Megatron smirks. Such sweet-talk. He nods in agreement before catching the finger between his dentas, his good mood making him playful. Very soon, he was kissing his lover again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean we all know Megatron has a temper, To Put It Lightly ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> To his credit, he's trying more than he ever bothered to. But eh, relationships can't be entirely without conflict, right? Lessons were learned, at least.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, with this it's T-2.5 ;)


	54. Between Earth And Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron is away and Y/n gets four months to herself.  
> The chapter focuses on that time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Your friends are teasing assholes and you're just like them' - the chapter.  
> Also a bit of lovesick turmoil :D

 

Y/n sat next to a large screen that took up the whole wall of the room that she is currently in. The screen was used to show the feed from the outside cameras, serving as a sort of large window, and the view outside…the view was incredible.

The planet Earth – her home, her whole world – was there, right in front of her, hovering in the blackness of space. This side of her home planet was dark now and it was magical to see the lights of the cities and towns shine, to see them outline the coastlines, the capitals of countries, to grow from large cities to smaller ones, forming spider web-like sparkling patterns. There, among the little shining lights she could actually see her home city, the area around it cloaked in the darkness of the night while the city itself was shining like a small ember.

It’s so strange, Y/n thought, so surreal. She knew her city at night, she could imagine how, down there, streetlights shone onto the empty bridge with the occasional car driving over it, how in the centre of the city people who partied the night away were beginning to head home as the clubs and bars began to close. How a homey, warm light shone from some windows, a bluish, sometimes blinking TV or PC light from others while the overwhelming majority of windows were dark. That was all still somewhere down there while, from here, it all seemed like a small shining speck on a large sphere that was slowly turning in the vacuum of space. 

The small space vessel Y/n was on, the ‘Talon’ _,_ was suspended in Earth’s orbit for now and thus moving in synch with the planet. Y/n had spent quite a while on the observation/command bridge of the ship once they reached orbit and it was safe to move around, but then had decided to relocate to somewhere more private. There wasn’t much room on the ship by cybertronian standards, but - with this being a scouting operation - there wasn’t much crew anyway and almost everyone was currently on the bridge. The Talon was to accompany the Thanatos until the two ships reached Earth’s moon’s orbit, after which Megatron’s ship would continue on into space while the crew of the ship Y/n was on would examine the little white satellite, since there was a possibility that there was a previously overlooked Energon stockpile there. Bringing the whole of the Nemesis up for that kind of thing would be a waste of resources and Megatron was not wasting time on treasure hunting, so Y/n got the opportunity to tag along on the Talon. Most of the crew didn’t care or were okay with it, well, except one very opinionated seeker. But since they had reached a sort of truce, even he wasn’t too much of a bother.

Y/n sighed and pressed her head against the ‘window’ as she continued looking on. She has been at it for a long time already, just looking on and listening to music, yet still she couldn’t look away, couldn’t convince herself to do anything else, like she would miss something if she were to look away. Well, technically, she had some things she was waiting for. She wanted to see how it looked like when morning set in as the planet turned towards the sun yet again. Judging by the time, that would be sometime soon. She was also waiting on when both Talon and Thanatos would head for the moon, since that would mean that Megatron would be departing and, by this point, Y/n almost wanted to just get it over with, like ripping off a band aid. She looked to the side – there, to their left, Thanatos hovered in all its glory. Somewhere in there, Megatron was-

 

“Enjoying the view?”

 

Y/n flinched and looked away from the screen, her eyes wide as she saw Megatron’s avatar look at her from the shadows, red optics glowing in the darkness.

“You seem surprised. Not glad to see me?” he teased her a bit as he looked over her surprised expression, walking over to where the young woman was. How long was he standing there, watching her?

“I am, I just wasn’t expecting to see you anymore...this year,” Y/n admitted as she smiled, watching the warlord sit down beside her and leaning into him a bit once he did. The mech nodded before placing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer – something Y/n was all too happy about.

“There are few things one experiences for the very first time when one lives as long as we do,” Megatron told her thoughtfully, “Before I depart, I wanted to share your first time seeing the sunrise from this perspective.”

There was a barely-audible nostalgic note to the mech’s voice and Y/n carefully took his servo into her hands, caressing the metal fondly.

“That would make the experience perfect,” she admitted before turning her head up and placing a soft kiss on his chin, making the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

And soon, they got their show. The whole planet seemed to get darker for a moment before the crescent shape of the planet's side started glowing a vibrant blue as the atmosphere caught the sunlight. And then, suddenly, this thin crescent shape started filling out with first white and then gold light from the centre until, finally, the sun started showing itself from behind the planet. Y/n squinted from the bright, warm light, smiling as she slowly exhaled the breath she didn’t notice she was holding. Wherever the light was washing over, the planet began to reveal its vibrant colours - the greens, yellows, browns, greys and reds of land, the blues of the seas and oceans, the white and greys of clouds.

“Are you…crying?” she heard Megatron’s quiet, genuinely surprised voice and smiled, raising one of her hands and wiping the stray tear away with the side of her index finger.

“You saw nothing,” the young woman chuckled softly as she managed to look away from the magnificent display and lock gazes with the mech, who looked so confused that it was actually funny. It was not often when Megatron was not sure what he should do.

“ _I’m fine,_ ” Y/n assured with a breathy laugh, patting the still slightly concerned mech on the servo, “It’s just- It’s a beautiful sight. Don’t judge me.”

“I am not,” Megatron assured as he snapped out of it, after that throwing her an affectionate yet slightly teasing look, “And it certainly is.”

 _“The planet,”_ Y/n emphasized with a playfully chiding smile, feeling her cheeks warm up nonetheless. Megatron threw a glance behind her and then looked back at the young woman before offering her an unimpressed expression to tease her.

“Don’t be rude, that’s my home,” she exclaimed, playfully tapping the mech’s servo with her hand and smirking when large digits closed around her hand, keeping it in place.

“Fine,” Megatron smirked, satisfied with her reaction. He then looked to the blue planet again and Y/n followed his gaze, “It does look visually appealing.”

The young woman nodded proudly as she continued admiring how morning was gradually arriving to more and more places as the sun – from where Y/n was looking - rose higher and higher above the planet. A comfortable silence settled in the room and Y/n eventually found herself on her beloved lord’s lap, enjoying being close to him while she still could. Then, she heard Megatron speak:

“Someday, when I restore it,” he told her, his thoughtful voice right above her ear, “I would like to watch Cybertron’s sunrise with you.”

The way those words were said, quiet and wistful, it struck the young woman right in the heart.

“I would like that too,” she let the mech know as she pressed the side of her head to the centre of his chassis affectionately, in turn feeling the arm that he kept around her tighten its hold a bit.

 

After a while, Y/n was once again alone in the room. And, maybe it was the black coldness of space outside, but somehow it was even harder to lose the warmth of Megatron’s frame and the soothing feeling of his embrace the second time. She allowed herself a brief time to stare at the Thanatos with longing - just long enough to get it out of her system - before standing up and making her way towards the command bridge. There was a moon landing planned and Y/n definitely was not missing that.

 

 

 

***

 

 

“And what did you say?”

“I said ‘Knockout made the thing, I trust him’.”

“And he?”

“And he said ‘I’ll recite those words as your last when Megatron asks why your corpse is slowly spinning in your moon’s orbit’.”

“The fragger.”

 

Y/n smirked as Knockout scanned her body and looks over the data on his forearm-implanted display. The Talon had just come back from its exploration mission and of course Y/n was full of stories to tell. She had just told her how her new flight suit did in space conditions and – despite a certain seeker’s hopes – it did wonderfully! Never would Y/n have thought that something that was so light and was so easy to move in could offer enough protection and life support to fly and walk around on the moon. Cybertronian technology, it was truly on the level of magic sometimes.

 

“Well, doctor, am I fine?” she asked, spinning her new helmet in her hands – this one was very similar to the first one, but improved on it ‘in both style and function’, allowing for a wider range of sight and providing more protection.

“Oh you are _fine,_ doll,” the medic told her with a smug little smile and Y/n offered him a lazy wave of a finger-gun that made him smirk, “Your vitals are strong, no trace of radiation or anything unusual. The travel to and from the moon must have left you tired, though?”

“Ya sure you're okay, kid?” Breakdown spoke up while working on one of the medical berths that needed adjusting.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Y/n assured with a dismissive wave of her hand and a smile, “I have no idea what going to space on a human vessel feels like, but I have a feeling that astronauts would be jealous of my traveling conditions.”

“Well then, since you’re not in any hurry,” Knockout said as the plating over his medical computer snapped shut, “Do tell us, how does it feel to travel with Starscream?”

Y/n looked to the doctor, then to his assistant.

“…Does the phrase _‘Megatron is away - now I, Starscream, lead the Decepticons!’_ tell you something?”

Judging by how both mechs started cackling, Y/n concluded that it did.

 

She told them about her surreal experience walking and flying around on the moon, about how small and beautiful Earth looked from there, about the remains of a crashed Autobot ship that was located in a crater on the far side of the moon, about the Energon deposit that was stored somewhere deep under the Moon’s rugged and crater-filled surface. They now knew it’s there, but unless there was a dire need for Energon, they were probably not going to drill for it anytime soon, not while there were so many mines and deposits still left on Earth. They did leave a concealed sensor and a few traps there, just in case the Autobots somehow did find a way to get there.

All in all, Y/n has had an experience of a lifetime – then again, she had quite a lot of those this past year. The young woman soon departed from the medbay and found herself in her room, in her cabin. And, as she stood in the small living room, the realisation that Megatron would not be coming by not that evening, not the next and not a week or month from then settled in her mind. There was a feeling of worry she knew would be there until Megatron returned – he was so far away, there was no way to reach him. Who knew what he could encounter when he was traversing a place as mind shatteringly huge as the universe. Autobots? Space storms? Alien monsters the size of a spaceship? The possibilities were literally endless and the only things that helped Y/n to not freak out were three facts:

  1. The universe was a huge place - the chances of encountering something truly threatening to a cybertronian starship were not as high as her mind was painting it.
  2. Megatron knew where he was going and the navigation system of the Thanatos was state-of-the art much like that of the Nemesis.
  3. He was Megatron.



 

And so, Y/n tried stuffing her worry as far away as possible as she decided to indulge in some premium-grade laziness. Megatron said nothing when Y/n occasionally decided to do nothing all day, but this...this was a level of sloth Y/n was used to indulging in when she was still living alone on Earth. She stayed in the cabin, watching YouTube and streams and movies, reading books, comics or fanfiction, not sleeping for 4 days then sleeping for 12 hours, playing games, taking 4-hour long baths while watching movies and videos projected onto a wall by a holoprojector. Promising herself to be productive tomorrow _,_ since tomorrow there would always be another ‘tomorrow’ to push that promise onto.

“You okay?” Steve asked when he came over, looking over a recently-awoken Y/n.

“I’m great! This is my default weekend mode,” she replied with a yawn and took a sip of coffee.

“It’s been two weeks, dude.”

 

Y/n nearly spat out her coffee, it felt like she could feel a bit of it in her nose now.

 

“Uh huh, good morning, Y/n,” Steve smirked, “I guess it’s relaxing, knowing Megatron won’t call on you anytime when he’s bored, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Y/n said, imitating a yawn, “Then again, I thought of something…at _some_ point this week. Don’t you guys worry, whenever Megatron is away, that is?”

“Worry? About Lord Megatron? Naaah,” Steve waved her away with his three-digited servo confidently, “The only one who can go compare to him both in combat and in strategy is the Prime. And the Prime is here. So better be worried about _us_ being left here instead.”

“That’s…very confident of you,” the young woman told her friend, his words making her smile and reassuring her more than he knew.

“Hah. Well we are talking about _the_ Lord Megatron. Don’t sweat it, we won’t be stuck with Starscream for long.”

After Steve left, Y/n returned to the cabin and checked the date. The 19th of October. Huh. Probably a good idea to end her little introverted vacation starting tomorrow. For real this time.

 

The next day, when the young woman decided to return back to the real world, luck would have it that one of the first mechs she met in the halls was Starscream, the seeker walking with his servos behind his back and his helm raised proudly. He was so obviously enjoying Megatron’s absence it was impressive in its own way.

“Commander,” she greeted as she slowed down a bit, still moving through the air but unhurriedly so.

“Y/n,” the silver mech looked her over, “And here I thought you’d be staying in your room for Lord Megatron’s whole trip.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” the young woman gave a small shrug, “I will be away for a lot, though, so at least there is that.”

“Why, Y/n, do whatever you wish,” the Air Commander smiled at her, his voice almost courteous, “After all, I have my orders regarding you. That is all I need.”

_Uh-huh._

“Much appreciated,” she nodded as she passed the seeker, after which they continued on their separate ways. These obviously non-sincere pleasantries weren’t ideal, but it was still better than what they had before. Dismissing the encounter, Y/n continued on her way to the Nemesis’s flight deck. She had flying skills to brush up on.

 

 

***

 

 

It’s quiet and peaceful in the forest. And, at the same time, it’s not. Life goes on all around, the nocturnal wildlife having retreated to let the sun-reliant animals run the show now what the first rays of sun have brightened the sky. It’s chilly outside and, as the sunlight gets between the pines and aspen trees and falls onto moss and grass, Y/n can still the vapour from her breath.

It’s the earliest morning of the 21st of October and she’s at one of the most remote spots in Eastern Europe Soundwave could find. Forests for as far as the eye can see and no humans around for tens of kilometres. The perfect mushroom picking spot. Of course, she could easily have bought the mushrooms, but where was the fun in that? The point was in the quiet, relaxing activity of going through the forest, listening to its inhabitants climb, run, fly, and crawl around (especially now that the more annoying/dangerous ones stayed away thanks to her ‘upgrades’). In feeling the smell of recent rain, tree barks, moss, flowers, berries and mushrooms. In coming upon different things - be it a beautiful flower, a singing bird, a snake peacefully slithering by, minding its own business or the bones of some animal that had met its end there. And, of course, it was fun spotting the mushrooms, recognising them and thinking of ways to cook them. Y/n currently had an appetite for some soup and a killer mushroom sauce her mother taught her how to make.

She gets onto her haunches next to an old aspen tree and carefully brushes a fern frond away to reveal a couple of mushrooms growing between the tree and the plant. Their stems are white and their caps are a healthy ripe orange color. The mushrooms' correct name is ‘orange-cap boletus’, but Y/n knows them by the name her grandfather calls them – ‘aspen friends’. Because they usually grow under aspen trees, unsurprisingly. Her second cousin calls them ‘aspen bros’, the young woman remembers with a smirk as she picks the mushrooms and places them into her basket. Y/n’s here for mostly these guys and penny bun mushrooms, after all. She hears skittering up above and looks up to spot a squirrel in the tree's crown, darting from branch to branch like a fluffy fireball. The critter stops and Y/n gets a good look at it while the tiny animal stands on its hind paws, its front ones pressed to its furry belly. The squirrel is bright red and its tail, as well as the tips of its ears are adorably fluffy. Its nose flares quickly as it looks and listens to everything. Then, it darts from the middle of the branch towards the trunk and then runs down it like a falling fiery red ribbon, only the quietest sound of its tiny claws scratching the bark reaching Y/n’s ears.

The young woman quickly hides her presence from the little creature even though the squirrel is about six meters away – after all, these are far from the squirrels she and Megatron had once fed while visiting the palace in Saint Petersburg. This one wasn’t used to people being food sources. The squirrel reaches the ground and looks around, looking to where Y/n is, then around her. Finally, it goes about its business, searching for food. The young woman watches it for a bit, then leaves a tiny, baby-sized penny bun mushroom lying in the squirrel’s path before walking off.

 

Eventually, Y/n’s basket is full and she takes out her phone to look up a particular destination. She walks towards it in no hurry while sending off a few messages and checking her progress on the GPS. She walks on the mossy trunk of a fallen tree over a large puddle, enjoying the lack of her body being wobbly and struggling to keep balance. Instead, she croaks at a frog. It croaks back. It’s a pleasant exchange. Finally, she reaches the remnants of an old road. The trees tower over her and fern and tall grass brush against her hips and thighs as she walks along the road. Eventually, Y/n finds herself in front of a town. It has long since been abandoned – hollow or partially hollow windows stare back at her, some roofs have fallen through houses while other, sturdier buildings don’t look too bad considering it’s probably been about seventy years since someone thought about maintaining them. This small town once had its own factory, its own hospital, its own farms and shop, kinder gardens, schools…People were born here, lived here, died here. The last inhabitants have left this place long ago and now it was a ghost town, a crumbling reminder that once there was a little community here.

 

Among this - in stark contrast to all of it - stood a figure, a marvel of mechanical biology. An eight meter tall frame made of dark metal that reflected the sunlight like a well-polished car. Or, more accurately, a well-polished military aerial drone. It wasn’t often Soundwave left the Nemesis for personal reasons, but sometimes even the workaholic mech knew he needed to let his processor cool down a bit. Sometimes he just took flights and sometimes he would go places. Sometimes, Y/n would accompany the silent mech for both. They have discovered they both liked exploring abandoned places, so that’s what they did occasionally. That’s why they were here now.

 

“Morning,” Y/n says with a friendly smile as she walks up to the mech and looks up at his mask to where his optics would be. The communications officer nods and then looks over to the basket in her hand.

“Oh, that’s for later. Mushrooms,” the young woman explains, “For dinner. I’d offer some, but, you know, you’d have to get a holoform first.”

Soundwave tilts his head to the side slightly as Y/n shows a particularly nice-looking mushroom. Y/n is about to joke about how could he be surprised since Cybertron seemingly had its own technoorganic glowing mushrooms-analogs, but stops herself in time. Soundwave wouldn't exactly have the freedom and - later on - the time to go strolling around looking for mushrooms, and after what the war did to Cybertron…well, suffice it to say that Y/n probably wasn’t the only one who saw cybertronian fluorescent mushrooms only on pictures in educational reading material.

They wander around the decaying town in comfortable silence. Soundwave has brought Y/n her wings, so the girl alternates between sometimes flying from roof to roof and exploring on foot. Soundwave’s pedesteps are silent, especially compared to other cybertronians, but Y/n can of course still hear him walking around. The knowledge that her friend is somewhere outside is comforting to her as she explores the inside of a school. The large gym pool is cracked, bushes and small trees growing out of its floor. Most of the large windows of the natatorium are just empty frames now, but some still persist, sunlight shining through cracked and dusty glass. The paint on the walls in every room of the school has been partially chipped away by time and the metal beds in the nurse’s office had rusted, moss growing over the old mattresses. Y/n stands at the window of a dusty old classroom as she looks over the pictures in a geography book – the pages have become yellow and parchment-like to the touch. Soundwave walks up to where she is and he’s eye-level with her even though she is standing on the second floor. It’s funny to be reminded how gigantic her friend really is now that she is in an environment made for humans and not the other way around how it usually is on the Nemesis.

They explore for a bit more and eventually Y/n stumbles upon something, hidden away in a chest in one of the houses. It’s a gramophone, perfectly preserved and with records. She presents it to Soundwave and he asks her if they could get it to work. Y/n has no idea how to use a gramophone, but luckily the internet provides help on how to operate the thing properly. They spend some time listening and bobbing their heads to some old-timey music while sitting (in the mech’s case, kneeling) in the town square.

“Speaking of music. Soundwave, I have a favour to ask,” Y/n tells the spymaster while she is carefully changing records, “I’ve been interested in some particular kinds of music and dance recently…”

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

The sounds of pieces of old pargeting crunching under heavy footsteps, heels lightly hitting the wooden floor and two people talking echoed through the old mansion, filling it with most sound it probably experienced in the last half a century.

“Okay, I think I’m beginning to get a grasp of what you want,” her father says as he is walking beside Y/n, looking over the historical photographs in his hands and then looking up, comparing the pictures to what he is asked to work with, “I have to say, so far it seems like the place is in _relatively_ good shape…well, mostly, if we don’t count the collapsed ceiling in the sunroom.”

They both chuckle and Y/n shrugs.

“Well, at least I don’t have to feel guilty for potentially destroying some precious ceiling painting because I want myself a room with a glass ceiling.”

“That is true,” the man nods, then hums thoughtfully, “I wonder what’s the situation with all the main load-bearing walls…”

“Dad. _Dad._ The load-bearing walls,” Y/n tells him as she grasps his upper arm excitedly, “Come on, look for yourself!”

 

They walk around the mansion and, in no time at all, the two of them are excitedly discussing the foundation, the walls, floors, chimneys and other aspects of the house’s properties. Y/n’s father knew enough specialists in the construction business for her to know that her little restoration project would be handled by people who could be trusted, her father included. Of course, after most of the work would be finished, Y/n would have Knockout and Breakdown install some upgrades of the cybertronian kind, but there was _much_ to be done before that.

 

“Sure nice of Max to give you a house that has a basement you can use as a set for a horror movie,” her father says and gives a whistle, looking over the condition of the basement.

“For the last time, I _wanted_ the ‘scary’ house,” Y/n rolls her eyes playfully, “Max asked me about a dozen times why wouldn’t I want to have something new and grand and whatever else.”

“And?” F/n asks as he looks over one of the old brick posts. Y/n follows his gaze and then looks up. There’s an abandoned, withered wasp nest stuck to the corner between the post and the ceiling.

“I don’t know, I just…I don’t want something that has all these good parts, all this effort put into it, all this history and aesthetic go to waste if I know I could fix it and give it purpose again. I just love old atmospheric houses and I want to take care of them and restore them to their former glory, okay?”

“So what you’re telling me is that your taste in houses is the same as your taste in men.”

 

Y/n looks at F/n, her eyes wide as a huge shocked grin starts appearing on her face.

 

“Father. _Oh my god._ You did _not._ ”

“I’m just sayin’,” her dad laughs smugly, the sound echoing off the walls. Y/n gives his shoulder a playful pinch.

“Careful, Y/n. I spotted some old rusty meat hooks sticking out of the ceiling. I could lift you and hang you by the back of your coat on one of those. You’d be hanging there until you’ve learned to respect your elders,” F/n threatens and it’s hilarious to Y/n because she knows she could easily be the one lifting the man. The young woman waves her hands in a poor imitation of fear.

“Oh no, not my Armani trench coat, have mercy,” she says flatly before smirking, “Okay, but if we should respect our elders, does that mean that you’d hang me and Max would hang you?”

Her father’s e/c eyes dart to the ceiling instinctively before he finishes thinking the sentence over.

“Wait a sec. I thought he was younger than me.”

 

_Ahahahahah._

“He is. But I made you look,” Y/n grins smugly and that gets her a playful shake on the shoulder from her dad.

 

 

 

*******

 

At the beginning of November, Y/n finds herself jumping through groundbridges, visiting specialised shops in India, Japan, China and Thailand for the fabric and ornaments she needs. The young woman seeks out the best craftsmen, paying them generously and not sparing words of gratitude for their agreement to make custom things for her. After that, she 'bridges home because she has dinner scheduled with her family. It still amazes her sometimes, how easy it is to travel the world, how quickly she could be anywhere she wanted. The sounds and smells of her parental home soothe her and, while she still worries, Y/n wants to hope that Megatron is doing well right now. He’s fine, she tells herself as she laughs at one of her grandmother’s stories. He’s fine.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Y/n is sitting in the driver’s seat of Steve’s altmode, looking over the sunlit streets of a small town in Texas, USA. They’ve been driving around for a while, this was the third town they’ve visited – there was no particular destination in mind, they were just hanging out by themselves, listening to music and talking, sometimes playing a game of ‘I spy’.

 

“Hey, Y/n. I spy with my little optic something beginning with “C”.”

Y/n looks around and that’s when a police car pulls over next to them, both cars waiting for the traffic light to change.

“’Cops’?”

“Yup.”

The young woman chuckles and then notices one of the officers, one that sits in the front passenger's seat, look at her. She looks back and the policeman tips his cowboy hat at her in greeting and smiles. Y/n smiles back and gives a little wave. Suddenly, the volume in the car goes way up and the song changes, playing NWA’s classic song, “Fuk Da Police”.

Both Y/n’s and the officer's expressions change to equally surprised and, as the officer at the wheel also looks over at her, the young woman mouths an ‘I am SO sorry’ before covering her mouth with her hands and slowly sliding down in her seat until the officers couldn’t see her through the window.

“I hate yoooou,” she informs Steve in a shaky voice, laughing almost hysterically as the light changes to green and the police car drives off.  

“Fuck the police, coming straight from the underground! Young mech got it bad cause I'm 'con!”

  
  
  
  
*******

 

 

“What…can human elbows even contort that way?...” Y/n mutters to herself as she looks at an old vid from Cybertron’s pre-war time. In it, slender, light-armoured mechs and femmes adorned with gem-incrusted accessories and see-though fabrics were moving to quick, lively music. The style of dance she was currently looking up was similar to Earth’s Eastern dances, such as those performed for middle-eastern or Indian royalty. She had been taking a closer look into some dance styles after asking Soundwave to provide her with relevant research information and trying them out for herself.

Standing in her room, outside her cabin, the young woman reset the vid on the tablet and watched again closely, keeping her eyes focused on one bot at a time while she tried repeating their movements. Aside from impossible-to-replicate instances where somebot’s pede would do a complete spin in their ankle-socket or parts of their bodies transformed, it wasn’t too difficult from a technical standpoint – humans were more flexible than cybertronians on the average, after all.

This would take a bit of choreographic ingenuity, but – luckily – it seemed like Y/n’s previous dancing experience, even if somewhat forgotten, would come in handy in coming up with something interesting...

 

 

*******

 

 

“Omph!” Y/n feels the air leave her lungs as a hand hits her on the back.

“Back,” the woman who hit her says with a stern voice and a smug smirk playing on her red lips. 

“You’re enjoying this,” the young woman observes with a chuckle as she arches her back even more and assumes the position she was previously in, her arms raised above her head, hands positioned in a graceful way much like a ballerina.

“ _You_ came to _me,_ so no complaining,” her former choreographer tells her strictly, then runs a hand through her short fiery red hair and taps Y/n left leg with the tip of her foot lightly, “You’re flexibility is wonderful, though, I have to say. Okay. Raise your right arm a bit more, angle your wrists to look outward. Now stretch that leg, you lazy girl, stretch!”

“Mmm,” the young woman whines for comedic effect, but then obediently follows her trainer’s orders as old memories from years ago keep floating around in her head. Same room, same mirrors, same pale wooden floors, same choreographer – there is a certain sweetness to the nostalgia, knowing that some places and people didn’t change much with time.

“Keep that back straight or I’ll impale you on a stake to keep it that way!”

The threats stayed the same as well.

 

 

*******

Weeks pass. Y/n mostly spends the days either overlooking the restoration of the old mansion, visiting her hometown or spending time on the Nemesis. There is always something to do and, after having spent two weeks basically in hibernation, the young woman has the motivation to be productive while Megatron is away.

The combat simulation room is a place Y/n now visits more often, either to play with the Vehicons or to train with Knockout and Breakdown. And though the two aren’t able to match her in speed and agility, holographic dummies have no problem being programmed to do so. Knockout didn’t lie - it wasn’t fun to get smacked. Not fun at all.

Asking Soundwave if he maybe, possibly knew Megatron’s preferences in dances wasn’t awkward at all. Not the slightest bit. At least Y/n hoped her behaviour was sending that message. Thankfully, the stress was worth it as the spymaster did indeed provide her with some valuable info from Megatronus’s gladiator days.

Starscream was…there. He was just there. The seeker shouted at soldiers or monologued about how great he was, but Y/n only got to hear of it from the Vehicons and, judging by their accounts, that was normal. Aside from that, the second-in-command actually did his job well – the mining operations were proceeding according to schedule, there was order on the Nemesis, everything seemed as it was when Megatron was around. The Autobots didn’t show themselves and Y/n hoped it would stay that way. Despite knowing that Starscream was an experienced warrior, the young woman knew that without Megatron around battles with the Autobots tended to go very differently. Still, where she herself was concerned, the silver mech didn’t bother her and their interactions remained limited to brief conversations in the warship’s halls. Would it stay that way? Hopefully. Was Starscream planning something? Who knew.

 

 

*******

 

 

“Oh it looks amazing on you!” Y/n says with a huge smile on her face as her friend walks out of the nearby room in a wedding dress.

“You said that last time!” the girl giggles and looks at herself in the huge wall mirror, spinning while holding onto the skirt of the dress.

“Well I’m sorry you look good in a lot of stuff,” Y/n shrugs and claps twice in excitement, “Now. Which one do you like better, this one or the last one?”

“I don’t knoooow!” her friend whines as she dramatically covers her face with her hands and arches her back, “Why does it have to be so complicaaateeed. And don’t you dare start singing the damn Avril song!”

“Damn. Foiled again,” the young woman chuckles, crossing her legs as she sits on the couch.

“Y/nnnnn.”

“Whaaaat?”

“Ugh. I don’t know. You wanna get married to Matt instead?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she laughs, looking over her friend warmly, “You’ll find ‘the one’ dress, don’t worry.”

“That’s, the problem! They’re all ‘the one’!” the bride exclaims as she lets her arms fall to her sides, “Can I just, like, be super-mega-rich and change into like seventeen different dresses during the day?”

“Changing into seventeen different dresses during the day? Sounds like a nightmare,” Y/n muses.

“Hey, it’s my imaginary wedding and I said seventeen,” her friend stubbornly complains and comically puts down her foot.

“Fair enough,” the young woman smirks softly, leaning forward, putting her elbow onto her knee and supporting her head with her hand, “Now. Can you decide between this one and the last one or do you want to try on another one?”

“…Kiiiiill mee,” the bride-to-be half-pleads half-roars before making her way back to the changing room, her feet dragging on the floor and her eyes dramatically cast up.

 

While her friend is changing, Y/n looks at her own reflection in one of the mirrors as she lets her thoughts wander. Today is the 26th of November. Kind of poetic how, even if she can’t spend the anniversary of her and Megatron getting together with the mech himself, she still spends it at a place that is dedicated to help people celebrate their (hopefully) happy union.

Time really flies. Y/n remembers that day well.

_‘You have such soft hands…May I?’ she remembers Megatron saying before he held her hand with one of his own, the fingertips of his other hand carefully dragging over the back side of her palm._

The young woman feels a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. It seems that even now that action - the memory of it and what it meant - is able to send shivers up her spine. She remembers the way the Decepticon lord’s holomatter hands and then servos touched her for the first time, making her heart race and her fingers tremble, how he looked at her, how he spoke to her. How he held her and how desperate their first kiss was, how he held her in his embrace – so perfectly tight and secure.

Her reflection looks back at her nostalgically, the gaze of e/c eyes clouded as the girl is less in the bridal salon and more back there, at that beautiful lake in Finland.

 

Today is also coincidentally Megatron’s Birthday or, well, Emergence Day. After all, the Cybertronian year had thirteen months and so every Earth year the date would be pushed back a month, give or take a few days. Y/n wonders if Megatron was surprised when one of the Vehicons aboard the Thanatos presented him with a sealed box full of Energon candies. Her thoughts then switch to hoping the mech was actually able to enjoy the candies and not busy with whatever trouble one could find in space. 

 

Hearing the approaching clacking of heels, the young woman snaps out of thought and remembers why she is where she is, smiling warmly as her friend walks out in another wedding dress.

 

 

*******

 

 

Sometimes, Y/n watches how the restoration of her mansion is going during the day and then finds herself walking through its corridors or practicing in the still unfinished gym room at night. Funnily enough, even though the bedroom was the first room to become at least somewhat usable, Y/n has trouble sleeping there. The mansion is surrounded by a forest and at night Y/n just can’t help but want to look outside the windows and listen closely to her senses. She knows that whatever traumas she has, she needs to work through them, but it’s amusing how used she has gotten to the security of her room on the Nemesis. Even though, while there, she would often secretly find herself longing for just the ability to watch the weather outside the window, to be able to open the window and let some fresh air in. Well, now she got what she wanted. Outdoors.

Living on Earth is natural for humans, she tells herself. She missed it, she reminds herself. And she will get used to it again…eventually. She’ll just have to deal for now. When she stays in the mansion, Y/n fills her nights with reading, watching movies or the other kinds of things she would usually do back in her cabin on the Nemesis. She eventually starts going out at night to take walks in the forest, stubbornly unwilling to let herself get used to not being able to do something because of her past experiences. The progress she makes is her personal little string of secret victories she doesn’t want anyone else to know about. Weakness and vulnerability are perfectly normal things to share with friends and, sometimes, Y/n lowers some of her mental walls to do that. In this case, however, what she feels most comfortable doing is dealing with this old hang-up by herself.

When she _does_ fall asleep in the mansion, it is usually in the early morning, between the times when the sun had just risen and when the people working on her house come over. It’s less fully falling asleep and more nodding off in a chair with a tablet or a book in her lap, but it’s a start.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

Y/n had always considered herself a self-sufficient person who was able to comfortably live by herself and not worry about where and how to find a partner ‘just to have someone’. That attitude had led her to have her the life experiences and the principles she possessed by this point and Y/n wasn’t complaining, since she ended up living a most incredible life and having someone just as incredible as her significant other.

One usually always gave something up to have something, though, and in Y/n’s case the warmth and contentment that usually washed over her before falling asleep and after waking up was replaced by a feeling of dire longing while Megatron was away. It was almost like her mind was playing a cruel joke on her because, while on that border between being asleep and being fully conscious, it was very easy to feel like the mech was there next to her - reading, looking over her or falling into recharge. It was easy to imagine his scent - a scent that Y/n could only describe as ‘heated metal, ozone and something distinctly Megatron’. Sometimes the young woman would dream of being wrapped in blankets atop the mech’s actual giant frame, the strong pulse of his spark under her, and sometimes her mind fooled her into thinking that she was a small movement away from pressing against the mech’s warm holomatter metal and finding a comfortable spot next to the frame that had become so familiar and dear to her.

 

The smell of a fir tree lingers in the air and that is the first thing Y/n notices as she wakes up in her cabin. It was the 10th of December and she had just brought the potted evergreen tree into the house yesterday.

 

The young woman’s eyelashes tremble as she takes a deep breath and snuggles into the blanket. Her favourite holiday time has arrived. The restoration of the mansion was put on hold for now and it would stay that way until the 6th of January. For now, Y/n plans to occupy herself with spending the holiday time the way she always spent it - meeting with family and friends, going on walks through her hometown and celebrating the two main events of the season – Christmas and New Years. It’s a shame that Megatron’s return is still almost two months away, but she knows that can’t be helped. He is away doing much more important things and the only thing Y/n hopes for is that he is safe. Still…More than the mech being there for the holidays or whatever winter rituals she had, Y/n just wanted to have the simple opportunity to turn around and-

A quiet, frustrated sigh leaves her as the young woman turns around to be met with an empty space and cold sheets where she was so used to seeing Megatron on most mornings. The damn mech was hopefully not immune to this too, because it would be a horrible injustice if Y/n was the only one stuck with sometimes feeling this frustratingly incomplete. The little things were what she missed the most – the rumble of Megatron’s voice, the glow of red optics, the glint of sharp dentas when the mech would smile. The comfortable silence when they were doing their own thing in the same room, the momentary glances and lingering looks. The ability to touch the mech’s frame, ease him into relaxing or the opposite, make his frame heat up with passion. To be touched by him as well. Megatron became very good at knowing her body, everything from the pressure applied when scratching her back to finding sensitive spots on her body with his lips.  

Y/n sighs. Both of them were always working on getting as many metaphorical tiny hooks into each other as possible and both of them knew it, too. Mind and body, both always watched closely for more ways to get the other to love them just a bit more, to deepen this connection they have. It had its advantages – these days, the two of them often understood each other without words and had an intimate knowledge of the other’s body and personality to know how to react. The disadvantages involved, of course, the fact that both of them knew exactly how to get under each other’s skin and armor whenever the situation got heated, and the more disturbing truth that if their union came to an end, it would be extremely painful with how dedicated both the mech and the young woman were currently to making themselves irreplaceable to the other…and how easy and natural it felt to do that.

Where was her famed cautiousness now, huh? Where was the Y/n who advised her friends of being careful of getting swept in being in love during the first year of relationships? ‘Oh but this is different, it _feels_ different!’ her mind tells her to the quick throbbing of her heart. Huh. Isn’t that what everyone says? Taking a deep breath, Y/n drags her hand over the empty spot on the bed. Doesn’t matter, really, she’s already in too deep to stop herself, or Megatron for that matter. It’s scary to think how much power he holds over her, but – as long as it’s mutual - it’s fair. What is _not_ fair was how much she misses having her lover around.

‘You damn idiot, I love you so much it hurts,’ the young woman thinks as she closes her eyes for a moment, imagining how the mech would react to the words if he were there. There’s a riddle, what would his processor notice first - her calling him an idiot or her telling him that she wholeheartedly loved him? Y/n smirks and then proceeds to get up – after all, she had things to do, and a holiday spirit to get into.

 

 

*******

 

 

On the 15th of December, Y/n stands in the mostly finished gym of her mansion. The gym is located in one of the four rooms the basement now has and one of its walls is completely reflective, the mirrors letting Y/n keep track of her movements. Currently, she is raising and lowering her hand, watching the chiffon fly up in the air and the fall down gracefully.  She has the fabric attached to the bracelet on her wrist, so it follows her hand like a sheer shimmering wave. Looks pretty. Attaching some other pieces of fabric to her clothes, Y/n puts on some music and tries to practice the routine she had more or less decided on.

“This…will take some practice,” the young woman mutters to herself a bit later as she looks at herself in the mirror, her body almost completely wrapped in colourful silks and chiffon. Okay, one more thing to add to the list – ‘Practice not getting mummified’.

 

 

*******

 

 

“Either you’ve gotten better or I’ve gotten dumber,” her grandfather tells her as Y/n plucks one of his black knights off the board and sets it aside.

“I’ve been playing with Max on occasion, maybe that’s it,” she replies with a slight shrug, secretly a bit embarrassed that her advantage over her grandfather may have very possibly just come from her brain – like everything else - working more efficiently since her ‘upgrades’, “Though he has this whole perverted type of chess they invented on the base.”

The older man hums, curiosity audible in his tone. He then looks at the board for a moment longer before making his move, his rook taking hers. The black rook in now in the perfect position for the white queen to take it, but that would leave her vulnerable to the black bishop that’s perfectly lined up on the board. Y/n instead grabs onto the top of her white knight with her middle finger and thumb, and moves the piece from where it’s currently standing in front of her king to where the black rook is, taking the latter out of the game. If her grandfather wants to trade, Y/n would rather lose a Knight than the Queen.

“You’ve definitely gotten quicker on picking good moves. I remember when you were little you would sit there for five minutes, indecisive,” the man smiles at her playfully, the wrinkles at the outer corners of his eyes only adding to his sly expression. The young woman can feel her cheeks and ears burn.

“Well it’s difficult to be confident in your choices when you know you’re playing against someone so much better than you,” she smiles back, partly nostalgic and partly embarrassed.

“Yes, well, as much as it was fun watching that little girl sit there and think – overthink – every move, I’m glad to see how much better you’ve gotten, especially recently,” the retired captain tells her as he lets the big players be for now and just moves one of his three remaining pawns, his knowing e/c eyes watching her, “Max seems like a very confident fellow. Maybe some of it rubbed off on you. Let’s hope some of your kind nature rubbed off on him as well.”

“You’ve spoken to the man once and you somehow know him so well,” Y/n smiles, impressed. A white pawn moves to the very border of the board.

“You’ve learned to watch people either from me or from your mom and – let’s be honest – if you had learned it from her, you‘d be less cynical,” the older man chuckles, looking over the board. Y/n smirks as well, watching on as another black pawn is moved.

“Hey, I have an idea,” the young woman says, lifting her eyes to look at her grandfather, “What about I teach you that game Max taught me?”

“Trying to teach an old dog new tricks?” the man asks and she can see sparks of curiosity and excitement in his eyes, “I’m in.”

“Excellent,” Y/n grins, “Who knows, maybe together we can figure out a way for me to beat that damn man. Or at least annoy him with a stalemate.”

“I’m sure all you need is a bit of practice. And confidence,” her grandfather smiles reassuringly, “He’s only human, Y/n, no matter how much experience he has at a game, there are ways to beat anyone. I’ve played chess for 60 years now and you’re close to beating me, after all.”

“I’m _trying_ to beat you,” Y/n smiles back, secretly laughing to herself about the devastating amount of experience Megatron has playing fullstasis, “Imagine there being a chess piece called a ‘quarg’.”

“…Sounds like something straight out of Star Trek.”

_“Right?!”_

 

 

*******

 

 

“So Soundwave came over today and got himself a holomatter generator~” Knockout says, his expression sly and Y/n already knows the conversation is going somewhere fun. They are hanging around in the medbay while the two mechs are pretending to be busy with ‘work’.

“The operation was quick and safe, don’t you worry about your favourite mech,” Breakdown teases and Y/n grins widely, since this is actually amazing news. Even if the duo is having a bit too much fun teasing her about hanging out with ‘the creepy quiet one’.

“That’s so cool!” she exclaims, bringing her hands together in a small excited clap, “I hope he’ll come by at some point.“

“Oh I’m sure he will,” Breakdown gives a breathy laugh, looking at her with one optic ridge raised.

“Guys. Let the mech be,” Y/n chuckles, leaning to the side and placing her weight on one leg as she crosses her arms.

“We are! He’s no fun to joke with anyway,” Knockout tells her, putting his servos on his hips, “You’re so much more fun to tease.”

“Lucky me.”

 

 

*******

 

 

 

Y/n blinks in surprise as the elderly, slightly chubby man puts a bag onto to counter and smiles, his small round glasses reflecting the Christmas lights that adorn the walls and roof of his booth at the Christmas market.

“From your suitor, milady,” the vendor winks at her, stroking his silver goatee with a smile.

The young woman’s e/c eyes switch from looking at the man to looking at the bag before she carefully reaches out and takes it. Looking inside, she finds several packs of forest berry marmalades and a couple of bottles of both blueberry and blackcurrant wine. Her favourites. He remembered. Y/n smiles to herself and it’s a small, touched smile that is also a bit sad. She wishes she could thank Megatron right now.

“If you’d humour this old fox and listen to his advice,” the vendor tells her and Y/n looks up, nodding for him to continue, “Someone who orders sweets and wine three months in advance is someone you should probably consider husband material.”

The young woman smiles warmly at him, her expression enough to convey everything without any words. The older man chuckles and fishes out two small tasting cups.

“Would you like to sample some goods before you go?” he asks. Y/n loosens her scarf a bit and takes off her gloves, taking the cup into her hand.

“Thank you,” she gives a small nod, happy to keep up the little tradition between herself and this person she only sees during the winter holidays. The joy from the unexpected Christmas present warms her very soul and for the rest of the day Y/n is in exceptionally high spirits, even if it comes with the heartache of missing Megatron a lot.

 

 

*******

 

 

“So how many are you releasing this time?” Y/n asks as she hovers next to Knockout, both of them currently in an elevator that is taking them down to one of the lower decks. The elevator itself is much similar to a human one and matches the overall aesthetic of the Nemesis with dark metal all around and white lights shining from the ceiling, making Knockout’s finish gleam. 

“Starscream ordered fifty, so I’m doing fifty,” the doctor tells her with a shrug, his voice bored more than anything else. For Y/n, despite her having heard of the practice from Megatron himself, this will be the first time seeing the place where the stasis-locked Vehicons were kept. This type of stasis lock was much similar to the one a bot could go into in life-threatening situations, but it was induced deliberately as the soldiers were put into stasis-pods. It was easy to transport them and ‘thaw them out’ whenever there was a need for more firepower or when the number of active troops dropped below the required amount due to casualties.

The elevator doors open with a swift swooshing sound and the cherry red mech steps out, followed by Y/n who is looking over the new place with curiosity. It looks very similar to all halls on the Nemesis, almost makes her feel like they are heading to the starship hangars.

“Must be scary, going into stasis and not knowing when you’ll come out,” the young woman muses.

“Eh,” Knockout gives another small shrug, “After reconfiguring their frames to match one of the standard Decepticon frame types, taking a long nap isn’t that bad. And if the Nemesis explodes, they won’t even be afraid before they’re back to being part of the Allspark.”

“I guess,” Y/n agrees quietly. Kody was the one to tell her it’s a little scary to just put yourself in a stasis pod and hope you’ll get out some day, the others were more dismissive of the subject. Then again, no one really would ask their opinion if the situation demanded they go into stasis. Putting soldiers into stasis was incredibly convenient – it ensured resources were spent efficiently and kept the Nemesis running at a steady rhythm, with an optimal number of soldiers, technicians, operators and other crew members. During the centuries where there would be nothing but travelling through the black void of space it was especially handy, since Energon could be saved up and not spent daily on soldiers who had mostly nothing to do anyway.  

“Frankly, it must be nice,” Knockout tells her as they approach a large door, “At least they don’t have to be awake for the whole duration of the war - it can get so tedious sometimes.”

 

The mech has to manually put in a code on a panel next to the door before confirming something on the computer in his forearm. There is a loud boom and a sound of gears turning and that’s something Y/n has heard only once before, when the doors to the starship hangars opened. To a race so advanced to put such heavy-duty locks in addition to the already incredibly durable doors – it really brought home that, despite the attitude of the officers, soldiers were a valuable resource to the cause. Resource…it sounds very cynical, despite Y/n’s amiable attitude towards the Vehicons. But, logically speaking, everyone and everything on the ship really is just a resource for Megatron to use to defeat Optimus Prime, despite how cold it sounds. Unfortunately, the realities of war were undeniable.

The doors begin to open and the first thing Y/n sees is how giant the space is – it is mostly dark there, except the faint blue glow marking the outline of hundreds of pods. The lights come on and Y/n sees that the pods vary in size and are all cylinder-shaped, stored in rows and forming a long, wide corridor-like passage. The larger ones are lower, the smaller ones – regular-Vehicon-sized ones – are higher up. There are rows and rows of pods, going all the way up the ceiling that is as high as it is in the starship hangars. Most worryingly, however, considerably more than half of those pods are not glowing, indicating that they are empty. Even accounting for a place for every single mech on board, that is still a huge amount of empty pods.

 

“Ugh, don’t like the place,” Knockout complains as he shudders, “It’s always so chilly in here.”

The young woman snaps out of though, out of looking over the place and looks back at the mech. For him, this is a mundane assignment – of course it is. It is both sad and sobering to Y/n somehow. Realities of war, right.

“Well when we’re done with this, we can travel somewhere warm. Rio, maybe? You seemed to like the night-time city there,” the young woman offers as they walk between the rows of pods, Knockout looking to and from his forearm display.

“ _Now_ you’re talking, doll,” the medic smiles approvingly, “The hot air, city lights, warm asphalt under my tires – just the thing.”

Y/n nods with a small smile and then looks back up, in quiet awe of the scale of the place. She then looks over the pods, flying up some of them and looking into them through the glass that lets her see the helms of the bots inside. They, of course, have their battle masks on so Y/n is met with the sight of visors that don’t glow their usual red. It’s a little unnerving, since usually those visors are so dim when the soldier is no longer living.

“Okay, so 25 of these, 15 of those…and 10 those over there,” Knockout mutters mostly to himself and puts something into his device, “You probably want to fly back a little.”

Y/n’s eyebrows rise a bit, but she obliges, flying back to the medic’s side. The young woman watches in awe as the rows start moving – it’s almost like they don’t weigh literal dozens of tons, the switch of rows swift and the sound of mechanisms switching and locking into place echoing across the room. One of the previously upper rows is now just one row away from floor-level and the room gets quiet once more, nothing but the quiet humming of the life-support systems disturbing the silence.

“It’s adorable how easily-impressed you are,” Knockout smirks smugly, his optics watching her with a sly yet friendly look to them.

“Shhh,” Y/n chides, “Stop making fun of me.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’m telling Starscream who switched out his buffer oil with green olive oil.”

“Ooh, blackmail. Me likey~” the doctor tells her with a smooth smile and Y/n rolls her eyes with a chuckle.

“Okay, you have fun with the newly-awoken, I’ll go now,” she informs, throwing a glance at the rows of pods as she starts floating towards the door. Knockout blinks in surprise.

“Not staying?”

“Eeh,” the proxy gives him a knowing smile, “Those guys have been in stasis for a few thousand years, some longer. I think they need some time to come to their senses before they see a weird fleshy thing flying around.”

“Heh. You weren’t kidding about that trip to Rio, right?”

“Nope. Text me when you’ll be ready to pick me up?”

“Marvellous.”

 

Y/n leaves Knockout to his duties and, while flying back to the elevator, she allows herself to take a good look around. There is not much to look at in this part of the ship, especially since whatever doors there are are all closed, but she likes the quiet of the hall and enjoys committing to memory a previously unknown part of the ship. It’s flattering to be trusted enough to be let into such an important place and Y/n wonders what else there is that she has yet to see. Before she flies into the elevator, the young woman notices that the humming of the Nemesis’s engines is much more audible here. It is a steady hum and Y/n listens to it a bit. There are many aspects to the Nemesis and even during this period of inactivity it still radiates with power – it’s almost like Y/n could touch a wall and feel it vibrate with energy all the internal components of the ship produce. But the warship was far more advanced than a human vessel, so she would have to get a lot closer to the engines to actually feel the vibrations by touching some surface. She listens to the humming some more, the sound both a little intimidating and very impressive at the same time. Finally, the young woman flies into the elevator and leaves the place, deciding that she should take a shower and make herself presentable before Knockout picks her up.

 

 

*******

 

 

On the evening 20th of December, Y/n returned from a walk through the snow-covered streets of Alberta, Canada and was absent-mindedly watching hot chocolate flow down out of the coffee-machine and into her winter-themed mug. A sudden knock on the door made her look towards the entrance to the cabin in surprise, however. Not just because Knockout and Breakdown ought to know better than phase into existence inside the room uninvited, but – mostly – because she didn’t hear anyone approach the door. Considering the creaking floorboards of the front porch and her keen hearing, that was something Y/n wasn’t used to happening. She quickly summed up all the facts and felt excitement well up in her.

“Coming!” she announced in a chipper tone, hurrying to the door.

Upon opening it, she saw a human-sized communications officer standing in front of her, his black glossy-surfaced mask reflecting the image of her smiling face.

“Soundwave,” she said, her tone warm and welcoming as her eyes looked over the mech and settled on his mask, “What a pleasant surprise. Come in.”

The young woman took several steps back and the spymaster followed her in, his helm slowly turning as he examined the room. He then looked back at her and Y/n couldn’t seem to stop smiling like an idiot. She really just wanted to hug the mech, but…should she?

“It’s nice to have you over,” she told him and the Decepticon spymaster nodded. They shared a moment of silence and Y/n chuckled, offering him her hand, “Hi.”

Soundwave looked down at her hand, then looked back up at her again as he reached out and grasped it with his servo carefully. It felt very different to Megatron’s, Knockout’s or Breakdown’s servo and Y/n committed the feeling to memory as they shook hands. His long, thin digits dragged over her hand and the young woman watched it move, the mech’s servos being so different presenting a fascinating experience for Y/n. A smiley face appearing on Soundwave’s mask did away with what tension there was left, Y/n leading him further into the house right after. She asked him if there was a particular reason for his visit and the mech shook his helm no.

“All the better,” she assured with a warm smile, “I told you, you’re always a welcomed guest.”

 

The young woman showed him around her cabin, the whole tour lasting just a few minutes since her living space was so small. The mechs helm turned, lowered and lifted as he looked over the place and the human things filling it. He spent some time exploring the shelves that held her souvenirs and reminders of her friends and looking over the ornaments on her Christmas tree with curiosity, touching some of them with the tip of his digit to make them swing from side to side slightly while his mask reflected the blinking lights decorating the tree. Finally, they found themselves at the coffee table, Y/n sitting in her preferred chair while Soundwave took a seat in the other one. He looked incredibly out of place in this setting – even more so than the other mechs – due to the design of his frame, but his presence felt perfectly suitable and familiar to have in her home, almost as if the Decepticon spymaster was a frequent guest here instead of a first-time visitor. Then again, while this was his first time inside the cabin, Soundwave had visited her room many times.

The scented candle on the coffee table made the air in the room smell of vanilla and cinnamon, the smell of hot chocolate still lingering in the air as well. The smell of the fir tree added that finishing touch to the Christmas atmosphere and Y/n felt at peace as she shared stories of some of her recent activities with the dark-framed mech. Later, she offered to let Soundwave try out some human foods she currently had on hand, since she knew how curious cybertronians usually were to discover new sensations and flavours. The communication’s officer agreed to that immediately and Y/n proceeded to happily present him with small doses of different foods and drink. Because of his mask and Y/n’s respectful aversion of gaze while he was eating, she couldn’t see whether there was something that initially disgusted or excited the mech with either taste of texture. But, fortunately, she was at least given feedback to the taste of everything via Soundwave displaying a literal grading sheet on his mask after tasting something and then summing it up with an emoticon. With his love for sour-tasting Energon rock-candies, Y/n wasn’t surprised when the spymaster informed her of his enjoyment of sweet and sour human candies as well as citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges…even if their texture was described to her by a confused ‘O_o’ smiley.

The rest of the evening was equally delightful with Soundwave showing her some videos from around the Nemesis on her TV screen, the little exercise in spying on everyone making Y/n feel slightly guilty…but only slightly. They also played a co-op game of Portal 2, the irony of Soundwave ‘now thinking with portals’ not lost on Y/n since, well, the mech already did that in real life. They then talked, the communications officer of course replying in a manner of playing recordings of other bots, but by now Y/n was fully used to it. Megatron was mentioned in their talks, since both of them were feeling the absence of the Decepticon lord more than the others on the Nemesis. Soundwave was, of course, more used to it, but even his composed nature didn’t hide from Y/n that he did not like not knowing where Megatron was and not having him aboard, even if he had a full (and enviable) confidence in the Decepticon lord returning. They didn’t elaborate on it much, but there was a comfortable understanding between them on the subject.

 

Long after midnight was when the Decepticon communication’s officer decided to leave and, when he stood up, Y/n did as well - even though there really was no need to walk him to the door.

 

“Thank you for visiting me,” she told him, coming up to the mech, “Come back anytime.”

“…Anytime?” a recording of Megatron’s doubting voice asked and the ‘;)’ smiley that appeared on the black mask was enough to make the young woman chuckle.

“You know what I mean,” she said, for a moment imagining how awkward it would be if the spymaster appeared during one of their more private moments with Megatron, “But when he’s back you probably should send me a message in advance, yeah.”

“I would imagine so~” Knockout’s smooth voice replied.

“Oh haha,” Y/n rolled her eyes with a smirk before smiling with genuine warmth at the mech, “If you plan on still recharging today, then goodnight.”

It was like sending a friend home, no, it _was_ sending a friend back to his habsuite and Y/n instinctively did the thing she usually did with close friends before parting with them – she hugged the spymaster. Or, well, she was half-hugging him, her hands only just having touched the cool slender frame by the time she realised that she had actually no idea how comfortable he was with such kind of physical contact. Decepticons weren’t exactly known for displaying affection a lot and Soundwave especially-

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Y/n looked up with an apologetic smile, ready to step back.

A servo gently landed on her head, making Y/n blink in surprise and recognize it as Soundwave’s usual display of friendliness towards her, but only scaled down. It was a little awkward moment with her arms half-around the mech’s frame and his servo on her head. Imagining how it looked like made Y/n giggle and complete the hug, giving the spymaster a very brief, but heartfelt embrace and receiving a hilariously awkward, yet somehow endearing pat on the head before letting him be.

“See you around,” she told him and Soundwave nodded before his holomatter avatar phased out of existence, leaving the young woman in a pleasant, upbeat mood for the rest of the night and the following day. 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

_M: You tell me. Are you in a flirtatious mood?_

_Hm…So what are you wearing?_

_M: Several tons of cybertronian armor._

_Very attractive <3_

_M: I will be coming over shortly. You can tell me that in person._

 

Y/n smirks as she holds her phone, reading parts of her conversations with Megatron from months ago. It’s nice to relive these little moments while he’s away, to read his words to her and remember the days these messages were sent.

The Christmas tree lights shine in the dimly lit room living room of her parents’ house. The other sources of light include the TV screen that was currently on mute, the lit fireplace and the small lamp standing on the coffee table next to the couch Y/n was currently sitting on. The young woman hears the kitchen door open and her mother’s footsteps approach. M/n walks into the room, two cups of steaming hot mulled wine in her hands. With a quiet clacking sound, the mugs are put on the table and the woman sits down next to Y/n with a relieved sigh.

“What? I thought you liked the riveting political discussions and the conversation about every distant relative our family has,” the girl smiles, referencing the conversations between her father and grandfather as well as between her two grandmothers. Her mother shows her a pained grimace before both of them chuckle.

 

It’s Christmas eve and Y/n is spending it at home with her family, the familiar atmosphere soothing and warming her soul. The small Christmas gifts to the inhabitant of the Nemesis were dealt out in the morning, so now that everything has been taken care of she feels free to just enjoy herself.

 

“Any plans for tomorrow?” her mother asks, taking a quick look at the TV before disregarding it in favour of looking at Y/n.

“If nothing changes, coffee with the girls in the afternoon and then then Arthur wants to hang out somewhere in the city,” the girl says thoughtfully, taking the mug that was placed in front of her into her hands, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sunshine,” M/n smiles as she takes her own mug into her hand. Both raise the mugs at each other a bit, careful not to spill the hot drink, then proceed to take small cautious sips. The smell of red wine, cinnamon, ginger, grenadine syrup and citrus coupled with the sensation of warm porcelain against her palms is wonderful and Y/n closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath, savouring the moment. The slice of orange floating inside the mug bumps gently against her upper lip when she takes another sip and the young woman almost wants time to stop at this moment of peace.

“Continuing our earlier conversation,” her mother’s voice brings Y/n out of her thoughts, Y/n looking at the woman with calm curiosity as the latter speaks, “I’m glad you have things to do while Max is away. Maybe it’s a good thing, the two of you spending some time apart, I hope you know how I mean that.”

“I know, I know,” the young woman nods, “It’s good to get my thoughts in order, to see how I feel when he’s away.”

“Mhmm,” M/n agrees with a smile, “I know you worry about him while he’s away, but it’ll be fine.”

The proxy smiles back, saying nothing, but nodding in gratitude and her mother puts a hand on her knee, shaking her leg a little playfully.

“Besides, since Max is away you’re spending more time here. It’s good to have my sunshine home, so I’m not complaining.”

Y/n chuckles, touched to hear she’s welcome back home. Taking one hand off the mug, she places it on her mother’s hand and gives it a squeeze.

“It’s good to be home, mom, really.”

 

They chat for a while and, when their mugs are about half-empty, the kitchen door opens, the other members of the family coming to search for them. The lightbulbs of the chandelier light up and the living room becomes the new centre of activity. Y/n enjoys the family time, even though she occasionally feels pangs of guilt from the knowledge that she is even considering the possibility of leaving everyone behind. It is both selfish of her and scary to lose something so important, to dear to her. If she were to one day leave Earth with Megatron, evenings like this would be left behind as well. Despite wanting the cybertronian war to end as soon as possible, Y/n finds herself selfishly hoping that she’ll have as much time as possible to make a final decision on the matter of her stay or departure.

For now, however, she relishes this evening. She gives her dog a good dose of affection, rubbing behind the pet’s ears and then petting the belly when it’s presented. After that, she gives the dog an extra large meaty bone as holiday dinner and spends a while standing on the back porch, remembering last Christmas.

 

_“This was…nice,” Megatron said to her back then, sounding thoughtful and somewhat conflicted, “Maybe somewhat too nice. I am not used to this, Y/n.”_

_“I see,” she replied back then before pressing into him a bit more and putting her hand on his, hoping to soothe him, “Though I can’t relate, I understand. It must be strange, all of this – all of them.”_

_“Yes. Strange. More than you can imagine,” the man said, closing his eyes and sighing in what sounded like relief. He then reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, letting it rest there._

 

Y/n tilts her head to the side a bit and shifts her weight just a bit to the right, remembering how it felt to lean into Megatron back then. With a sigh, she looks up at the sky and, unlike last year, the sky is clouded, small snowflakes slowly falling down from it. Behind those clouds there is a starry sky and the Decepticon lord is somewhere there – incredibly far away, somewhere in the depths of the cosmos. She worries about him, she misses him so very much, she loves him. There is nothing like being with him. The young woman wants to give the mech something as precious as the feeling of ‘home’…but would she sacrifice being able to ever come home again herself, being able to see her family? That is a huge sacrifice, both leaving her family and agreeing to the Nemesis being her living place for – potentially – indefinitely. Having no other place to go…it sounded horrifying if things went bad at some point during the relationship or if… _something_ happened that would put Starscream in charge.

 

Y/n sighs and hangs her head low.

Hopefully, she still has time to think all of this over.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speaking of spending days in bed, watching YouTube. I had a bit of cold recently and, while I was overdosing myself on tea, honey and clementines, I decided to watch some of Hell’s Kitchen's Season 17. I know the show was probably making my brain rot, but it was fun cooking and having a meal while watching it and imagining Megatron as Gordon Ramsay, Soundwave as a Maître D’ and Starscream as the obligatory bitchy guy or girl they always have at least one of in every season. Sometimes, it’s just fun imagining the Vehicons run around the kitchen like headless chickens while Megatron shouts at them…Even though Megatron’s culinary endeavours would probably end up in him setting the kitchen on fire Hell’s Kitchen Season 17 intro-style :D
> 
> The threat from the choreographer is a real thing real people say, btw, I experienced many like it during my ballroom dancing days. Yes, those people will work you mercilessly, but they’ll also be the first ones telling you take care of yourself and be healthy ;)
> 
> ...T-1.5


	55. While It Lasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron returns to Earth and has to deal with how things - and he himself - have changed over the past 1.5 years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is awkward.  
> I had I feeling that I forgot something. Turns out, the only place I posted a warning that I had some very last-minute moving business to attend to was my Twitter. Shucks. Sorry, everyone, I somehow thought I posted something here as well :(
> 
> My absentmindedness aside, please enjoy some Megatron POV.  
> It's the last super giant chapter and - of course - it’s Megatron’s. It's almost a story within a story, the events spanning six months. 
> 
> This is long. Bring food and drinks. As always, I'll be leaving a reference to cybertronian units of time since I mostly use those when it's Megatron's POV.  
> http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Units_of_time
> 
> I hope you enjoy and good luck!

 

 

It was the 5th of October on Earth when he left the Nemesis to follow up on a signal from one of his ships. The _Decimator_ was a large vessel, well-armed as well. For it to send a signal announcing its relatively close proximity and then not respond despite several hails meant that something has happened. Chances of this being a rescue mission were very slim, the more probable scenario was that the mission would be a salvage one. Since the signal from the Decimator showed that it was relatively close to Earth’s Sol system, it was worth checking what had happened. And if there were soldiers or valuable resources to be found, Megatron would bring those back to the Nemesis.

Space travel was a boring affair most of the time, even more so for those who did not know how to entertain themselves in their own company. Fortunately, Megatron was adept at being productive when travelling and did not have that problem. He had a different one. It started out as minor things he would miss about Y/n, as small thoughts of what the young woman would say or do were she with him at the moment. He would cast his optics at his desk sometimes while in his cabin, instinctively expecting to see his lover, sitting in her chair and reading something, before remembering that there was no reason she would be there. Or he would briefly wonder what she would say if she was looking at all these stars and planets, so different from how she was used to seeing them from Earth. If seeing her home from orbit made her sentimental to the point of tears, she would probably be in awe of seeing more of the universe.

 

Orns went by, the mech’s processor reminding him that at the start of every new orn thirteen Earth days had passed once again. First it was the 5th of October, then the 18th, then the 31st.

 

As time went on and the Thanatos travelled farther and farther away from the Sol system and closer to where the Decimator’s signal originated, the warlord’s ‘affliction’ got worse. Y/n had apparently very much succeeded in making herself as part of his life as his habits were and, without her by his side now, an important piece of a puzzle was missing. It was not like he could not imagine ever living without her again - no, the Decepticon lord was neither that sentimental or that naïve…but the very noticeable lack of his lover was getting on his nerves, his spark becoming irritatingly restless at times.  Briefly, habitually checking for Y/n in his surroundings or thinking of what she would say was now joined by a sharp, obvious feeling of missing her presence. It did not affect his mission or his work in any way, but it did affect his mood – especially so during the times of orbital cycle when he was now used to usually having his lover around. Before recharge and after coming out of it were the times when he felt a dire lack of Y/n and - as much as his own weakness angered him - not having her beside him frustrated him even more. Things weren’t made better by the fact that Megatron was acutely aware that there was a possibility that when he got back Y/n’s attitude towards him wouldn’t be as it was when he left. 

Being away from the young woman, while sometimes making the feeling of longing scrape at his sparkchamber, also provided the warlord with the opportunity to think things over. Say, she _did_ find out. He would just keep her on the Nemesis. Y/n would not like it but – at that point – she would already hate him anyway, so he would take her despising him some more if it meant having her on the ship, even as a prisoner. She had a room of her own already, a human house inside that room as well – her accommodations were set, the only things Megatron would have to do was lock the door and make sure no one got the traitorous idea to go against his orders. Or the stupid idea to visit Y/n, allowing the smart proxy to escape somehow. The fear of death usually worked well in keeping mechs in check, though. And Y/n...eventually, she would come to see reason. Megatron was not letting her go, not while it was _this_ aggravating to not have her around, not while he craved to see her, to speak to her, to touch her as much as he did. And even if she would not let him enjoy her company the same way as before if she became his prisoner, at least he would still have her close by, on the Nemesis and not somewhere on Earth, where she could get the horrible idea to run to Prime. That would just be the most infuriating scenario, as that would immediately make Y/n an enemy. He did _not_ like to think of that possibility.

In the end, he thought, staying with him would be for her own good. What were humans to her? With what Y/n was, her family and friends would soon be dead, leaving her alone on her organic planet for vorns and vorns to come, forced to watch her every step to avoid raising suspicion of government agencies or getting pursued by humans such as those who came after her before Megatron took her on board. It was much easier to take Y/n with him instead of killing every single human who would want to bring her harm…despite Megatron’s burning desire to do so.

 

There was a certain newfound aspect to the war when Y/n was around – the planning of a future for Cybertron after Megatron’s victory. The Decepticon lord had a set plan regarding what he would do after he won, but now it was fascinating to revisit that plan, to look at it from a perspective Y/n’s presence offered. The human and the mech did not always see eye to optic, Y/n’s opinions on his potential methods of ruling were based on humanity’s experiences and therefore obviously cautious and not without doubts and serious concerns. Political and sociological ideas were not the only things they discussed, however. One of Megatron’s recent favourite things to do was opening maps of different Cybertronian cities and planning their future layout together with Y/n. His lover had this pleasant balance between understanding the need for practicality, but also having a longing for a city to have an aesthetic that would suit it based on its history, the regard for the feelings of those who whould live there and on the role the place would play in the world Megatron would rebuild and rule. They would sit in his quarters – from the evening until dawn, sometimes even until noon - engrossed in discussion, in ideas and concepts and historical data as they looked over maps, switching between 3D or 4D holographic projections and simple topographic maps glowing in the circuitry of his table.

It was…It was _fun._ Genuinely fun to get swept up in the planning, in the discussions, in listening to his lover’s opinions and explaining his own, in the debates that could either get heated, joking or flirtatious but never, never boring, never once putting into doubt that Y/n - despite being so young and so new to his culture - was genuinely, wholeheartedly invested in trying to help make his people’s future brighter. Megatron had a clear vision of the Cybertron he would one day rule, but he did not give much thought to the more…’people oriented’ aspects of it. Grand arenas, monuments or plazas were one thing – parks, academies and museums were another. There was a philanthropic streak to Y/n, a benevolence that would – if put to use correctly – be beneficial to his future empire. He was thinking about that a lot recently, especially since he was now away from the young woman. There were many reasons why he should not be considering Y/n’s role in Cybertron’s future as seriously at this point…but there were also enough reasons for him to do so. The main one being that he simply wanted to.

 

 

*******

 

 

More time passed. The 13th, then the 26th of November arrived. On the 26th, however, something unexpected happened.

 

When the gaze of Megatron’s expecting optics landed on one of the mechanics, the mech – visibly nervous – quickly voiced his apologies for disturbing the Decepticon lord while the latter was in his hab suite. Then, Megatron was presented with a box. By the way it was decorated he immediately understood that it was not a present from the mechanic in front of him.

“Lord Megatron, Y/n- I, I mean the human- I mean, the human Y/n L/n requested this be delivered to you this orbital cycle,” the mech explained himself as the warlord unhurriedly reached out and took the decorated container from his servos.

“Are there any non-humans named ‘Y/n’ who the Decepticons are aware of?” Megatron asked rhetorically with a raised optic ridge while his expression stayed mostly neutral (and slightly annoyed). He just came out of recharge and it was much too early for him to come faceplate to faceplate with stupidity.

“Eh...No, my lord?” the Vehicon replied, obviously not daring to ignore a direct question from the Decepticon lord.

“Dismissed,” the steel-coloured mech stated, already bored with his subordinate. The Vehicon immediately straightened his posture and saluted him.

“Yes, Lord Megatron…My lord!”

Megatron was already half-turned away, so the exclamation made him narrow his optics as he turned back, the corners of his mouth beginning to turn down.

_“What is it?”_

“Happy Emergence day, sir!”

The purple and grey mech’s frame was tense, and was that condensed moisture trickling down the side of his helm? The former gladiator wondered if Y/n would have taken pity on the mechanic or laugh at how nervous he was. Megatron did not say anything, but he did nod slightly to the mech in acknowledgement before the door to his cabin closed, finally leaving the warlord alone with the unexpected package.

 

So Y/n sent him a gift for his Emergence day? How so very like her.

 

The Decepticon lord went up to his desk and sat down in his chair, looking over the box as he turned the servo that was holding it. It was a perfect cube, two meters in height and width, and made of metal. A relatively large purple bow adorned the upper right corner of its lid. Megatron put the box on the desk and took the time to simply look at it for a while. Today also marked a full Earth year of him taking Y/n as his lover, he remembered. Since he decided to lead this mission personally, he was not able to spend the anniversary with Y/n, obviously, but – lo and behold – the young woman had found a way to remind him of her affection anyway. The mech would belatedly spoil his lover on the occasion of their first anniversary once he came back, but he was glad he thought of arranging for Y/n to receive a small token of his affection during those winter holidays she liked so much.

He spotted a small camera very much like a ‘door lock’ frame scanner embedded in the lid of the box and it was nice to know steps were taken to prevent anyone from messing with _his_ present. Not that anyone would dare. The mech triggered the small device and a moment later the box clicked quietly, the lid popping open. A soft glow of blue and magenta Energon candies coloured the desk around the box with bright lights while a small black file storage cube immediately caught the warlord’s attention. Reaching out and picking up the cube, he placed it on his desk and activated it, not noticing how his whole frame tensed in anticipation.

 

The holoscreen above his desk switched on and an image of Y/n and Soundwave appeared on screen. The former was clad in a long purple dress and held a glass of something in her hand while the latter had a cube of presumably highgrade in his servo.

“Hello there,” Y/n said with a warm smile and a hint of laughter in her voice. Megatron's optics narrowed slighly, gaze softening at the sight of her, “I hope this little message finds you well.”

Soundwave, whose upper frame could be seen behind the young woman, nodded in agreement with the statement. Y/n continued:

“We know you’re away doing important things and so we hope a small box of sweets can make your free time just a little more enjoyable.”

It will.

“From the spark and from the heart,” Y/n unhurriedly gestured behind herself and then to herself, “Happy Emergence day, Megatron.”

Ah, it was so very soothing to hear his designation spoken with his lover’s voice.

“At the time of this recording you’re still here, but you’ll be leaving soon. We already miss you, though. Soundwave misses you especially, the poor mech,” the young woman said and chuckled as a spindly digit carefully poked her in the back. That got a small, amused smirk out of the warlord. He wondered what he was doing while these two were having fun recording this little video. Y/n raised her glass above her head and Megatron watched as Soundwave’s cube ever so carefully touched it.

“To you and to your safe return,” his lover announced softly, e/c eyes looking at the camera in a way that made his spark ache.

His friend flashed a smiling emoticon on his mask while Y/n smiled and then the recording ended.

 

Megatron’s expression did not change much while or after watching the video, but he immediately replayed it. And then he replayed it again. Only on the third time watching it did he reach out to take one of the glowing re-crystallised pieces of Energon. As it sizzled, dissolving on his glossa and crunched, breaking apart under his dentas, the mech watched his old friend and his lover congratulate him, listened to the young woman’s voice, watched both of them move - both Soundwave’s and Y/n’s movements speaking volumes to someone who knew them as well as Megatron did.

It was…nice to see some previously unseen footage of them, especially of Y/n. The mech let his optics linger on her exposed shoulders and neck, on the movement of her lips, on the lines of her body that had become so precious to him by now. If only he was back on the Nemesis…But he was not. Yet another in a long, _long_ string of sacrifices that had to be made to try and gain an advantage in the war. By far not the direst of sacrifices that he had to make or was willing to make, but a very uniquely-vexatious one.

The rest of the orbital cycle went much like any other when traveling through space – as in, uneventful save for the occasional congratulations from the crew of the Thanatos. They left the warlord mostly indifferent; his thoughts back with the Nemesis, with Y/n, while he sat on his throne on the bridge of the warship and stared off into the endless universe.

 

 

*******

 

 

Megatron walked over the landing deck of the Thanatos, his frame having gravitized to the ship and thus not affected by the zero gravity of space. It was cold and airless – it has been a little while since the warlord spent time somewhere without a breathable atmosphere. Fortunately, he did not need any oxygen to survive, cybertronians were above such weaknesses.

The steel-coloured mech stood on the helm of the ship as he looked ahead, examining the view in front of his currently immobile vessel. In the distance, the wreckages of two warships…No, perhaps ‘wreckage’ was too mild of a word. The torn off, bent and burnt pieces of fuselage drifted through space, surrounding the bigger parts of the two space vessels, making them look almost like the carcasses of two giant decomposing cyberbeasts. All was quiet in the darkness of space and stars shone coldly in their indifference as Megatron’s optics focused on different places of the wreckage. The obvious conclusion would be that the Decimator and the Autobot ship the Decepticon database was able to recognise as the _Valiant_ destroyed each other in a fierce battle not too long ago.

 

_“You think it could be a trap?” Y/n asked him with a worried look and he lifted his optics from his datapad, focusing his attention on his lover who was currently sitting in a chair atop his desk._

_“That is a possibility, yes,” Megatron replied with a nod, not the least bit concerned, “Do not worry, Y/n. If it is, the Autobots will get more than they bargained for.”_

_“You know I’ll still worry,” the young woman gave him a half-smile and a shrug, “Just please be careful.”_

_‘I have no need to be careful,’ he wanted to tell her, but instead simply nodded, deciding to put his lover’s peace of mind first and enjoying the feeling of being so genuinely cared for._

 

Megatron put his arms behind his back, clasping his servos and continuing to look at the two destroyed ships as a dozen soldiers in their jet-modes flew from behind him and towards the wreckage.

‘Thus far, it _seems_ to not be a trap,’ the warlord thought to himself while watching the Vehicons scour the wreckage. He observed the jets circle around the area and fly between the debris, then deciding he should take a look for himself to be absolutely sure nothing of importance was overlooked. The mech took a few steps forward before transforming and flying towards the two space vessels. He would look over some places briefly or land to take a closer look at others. His experience told him that this was indeed what it looked like – the mutual destruction of both ships. No one – Decepticon or Autobot – was waiting for him, everyone was long offline or departed on escape shuttles. A pity really, the loss of the Decimator. Then again, it at least managed to take out the enemy, so Megatron could not complain.

A burnt and mauled offlined frame of an Autobot drifted by him and the warlord brushed it away with only slight annoyance as he entered one of the bigger in-tact parts of the Autobot ship’s fuselage. A couple of soldiers followed suit, their weapons at the ready as they hurried to keep up with him, his large steps equal to a several of their own. Equipment and frame parts floating around, the lights from the soldiers’ built-in flashlights shining over whatever remained of the walls, floor and ceiling, they explored the area before continuing on to the next part and then back to the destroyed Decepticon spacecraft.

When he returned to the Thanatos, the Decepticon lord was not in the best of moods. The several-orn-long trip turned out to be not much more than a graveyard visit, with the addition of some minimal scavenging. Barely worth the resources wasted to get here, even. And, even though he should not be thinking this way, the trip did not feel like it was worth him leaving Y/n for so long, depriving himself of contact with the young woman. It was frustrating, to think that he spent this time away from the Nemesis and now would be coming back not only without any considerable gains from this escapade, but also – potentially – to his lover despising him for all the ways that he deceived her. That last thought was constant in his mind and he knew it would only leave once he knew for sure. 

After whatever could be scavenged was recovered, the Decepticon lord gave the order for the Thanatos to begin making its way back to Earth. The Vehicons operating the terminals no doubt noticed his displeased demeanor, hurrying to obey and adjust the necessary data. Megatron did not care for their uneasiness, instead beginning to think over ways to dispose of Prime while he was on Earth.

 

The planet offered enough places to hide and wherever the Autobots had their base – it had a decent cloaking system. The assistance of the USA’s government did not make things easier, since it provided Megatron’s enemies with resources and knowledge of the turf they were fighting on. And, as Y/n had helpfully demonstrated, those insights were able to make a significant difference sometimes.

He could try issuing an ultimatum to the government of the country that harboured Prime and his soldiers, but that idea had two downsides. The first one was that it would require Megatron negotiate with the humans. Him? Negotiating with humans, trying to convince them to give up Prime for their own safety? While a viable option, he would probably use it as the very last resort, since he was perfectly capable of defeating his former brother no matter what allies he made. The second downside was the fact that there was a high possibility of the US government being as dimsparkedly stupid as that one agent Prime was running around with and reject his offer, instead becoming even more alert and ready to go to war. Megatron did not have any wish to fight a war on two fronts right now, especially not when there was still so much Energon to harvest and Autobots to search for. Also, while not strategically important, him waging war on humans would put Y/n into a position where her loyalties would be questioned. And – just like Y/n knew that his ambitions and goals stood first – Megatron knew that Y/n considered Earth a place where (almost) everything she knew and loved was.

But the Decepticon lord was a greedy creature and he was steadily working on making himself a necessary, irreplaceable presence in his lover’s life. Even if it meant leaving himself open to her doing the same…all the better, really. Let her be greedy, let her indulge in the pleasure and the affection he was giving her, let her savour the luxuries and freedoms no other but him was able to give. Wouldn’t that be marvellous, for Y/n to decide to leave that little organic planet of hers and stay by his side? Was the honour of being his confidant and lover not compelling enough? Were the benefits not obvious? Megatron knew mechs and femmes who would literally kill others for that privilege to be offered to them as quickly and to the extent that it happened with the small proxy. Then again, it was _because_ none of this was planned or foreseen by the steel-coloured mech that it probably happened the way it did. It was embarrassing to an extent how quickly he, _Megatron,_ became so attached. It got easier to get used to the thought, though, the more time he spent with the young woman. There was a certain… _harmony_ between them, and ‘harmony’ was not a word anyone would use in regards to him. Not even he himself. Until recently, that is.

Staring off at a distant nebula as the Thanatos made its way back towards Earth, the warlord momentarily let himself imagine Y/n’s embrace, her smell, her voice. The warm look in those e/c eyes, the smile on those soft lips.

That was enough of a distraction for now. Megatron’s thoughts returned to the point where they strayed off-course. For now, contacting humans was not something Megatron was willing to stoop down to in order to find Prime. There were other ways – some more time-consuming than others. Then again, with the amount of Energon Earth was seeded with over the millennia, it seemed that cybertronian presence on the planet was assured for a while longer. Very possibly, it would become the place for the next massive-scale confrontation between the forces. And in that case…Megatron would do well to start thinking about gathering more of his army on Y/n’s homeworld.

 

 

*******

 

 

_The small organic frame on his chassis sat up and Megatron watched Y/n cover her mouth with one hand as she yawned and bring up her other arm, stretching. Her sleepy e/c eyes looked down at his faceplate with drowsy affection that made his sparkchamber feel pleasantly warm as he himself enjoyed an unhurried awakening._

_“Morning,” she said softly, readily leaning into his large servo when Megatron brought it closer to her body. The mech smiled._

 

It had been… _a while_ since someone made a habit out of wishing Megatron a pleasant start of an orbital cycle. It was not customary on the Nemesis - not where Megatron was concerned at least – there were more important matters than wishing each other ‘good mornings’, and if Starscream or Knockout _did_ do it in an effort to get on his good side then it had more of a chance to sour his mood than improve it. If it managed to cause any reaction at all, that is.

Yet, the small, simple habit was now something that he felt was lacking from his daily routine.

It was the 22th of December on Earth today, he thought. Six orns – or eleven weeks since he last saw Y/n. Approximately three more orns to go until he stepped a pede onto the Nemesis once more. He was going to be _very_ displeased if after all this he was going to be met with the news of his lover somehow learning of the truth or of any harm coming to her in his absence.

These thoughts…they were draining in how they came back again and again, somehow eliciting the same emotions in him over and over. He wished he could just get back to the Nemesis, find out and get it over already.

 

 

*******

 

 

The 28th of January, according to the human calendar.

This is it, the last faster-than-light jump across space to Earth’s Sol system. The Thanatos has just given everyone on board a brief, but noticeable shake when the jump was complete and the ship emerged just behind Earth’s moon, the space behind the satellite being humanity’s – and by extension the Autobots’ - very convenient blind spot that Megatron feels he’ll find himself exploiting in the future.

 

But that is not what is on the forefront of his mind right now.

 

He immediately orders for communication to be established with the Nemesis. A large holoscreen appears over the ship’s observation screen and Soundwave is the first one he sees, ever diligent in working at the flagship’s main terminal. The spymaster looks up and salutes wordlessly, his servo over his spark, and Megatron raises his helm a bit higher, speaking to all present at the Nemesis’s command bridge:

“Decepticons! I have returned.”

Everyone on the bridge has already left their duties to stand at attention and they salute at his words with an ‘All hail Megatron’ echoing throughout the large area.

“Yes, yes, all hail Megatron!” a familiar voice sounds from behind Soundwave and Megatron sees the tips of silver wings behind the spymaster before the seeker himself barges into frame, “Welcome back, master! I expect your expedition was successful?”

“Are you expecting _me_ to brief _you,_ Starscream?” the warlord inquires, his optics narrowing dangerously at the winged mech’s tone. A tone the latter hurries to change to a much more obedient one once he is reminded who is really in charge.

“Of course not, my liege, merely being curious!”

Megatron does not believe it for a second, but he also does not care.

“Are there any developments I need to be aware of urgently?”

“Developments? Urgent? No, my liege, everything has been kept completely under control under my supervision,” Starscream says smoothly, broadening his shoulders and spreading his wings, the tips of his digits touching his upper chassis one by one, “Mining schedule has been followed perfectly, Autobots kept at bay, aboriginal population still as oblivious as the day you left.”

“Good, Starscream,” the Decepticon lord praises the seeker and sees a smug little grin appear on his faceplate, “I will await your full report by the time the Thanatos docks.”

The silver mech’s expression immediately falls.

“Yes, my lord _, even if you did return so suddenly-_ I mean, certainly! _"_

It takes a lot not to roll his optics, especially since - now that he knows there were no new developments in the war - there is only one question that is eating away at him, making him more frustrated and agitated by the second.

“I will be on board within the cycle. Prepare the loading dock equipment, send over additional maintenance staff,” the former gladiator orders before cutting off communication. Immediately after, he contacts Soundwave via a private comm line.

 

“Anything _else_ I should know about?” he asks in a quiet, almost threatening tone.

He receives a message that only reads ‘[Negative]’ and the amount of relief that washes over him is ridiculous, he could swear it makes him dizzy for a moment even if his appearance does not betray him for a moment.

“Very well. Await my arrival. I am looking forward to reading your accounts of what has been happening on my ship in my absence,” the warlord tells the communications officer in a much more gracious voice than a moment ago, then disconnects.

He contemplates calling Y/n. No, not here, not right now. He would rather hear her when he meets her, not while he is still far enough away from his lover that he cannot touch her, while he is surrounded by the crew and preparing for the ship to engage its cloaking tech and enter Earth’s atmosphere. Oh, but he wants to talk to her now that he can…He opens a private messaging comm line.

 

 

_I have returned._

 

 

He sees that the message has been delivered. And so he waits for it to be seen by Y/n. He waits. And waits. He feels very foolish. How long has it been? Two minutes?! Surely, it was more. It felt like more. Ridiculous. Is she away from the Nemesis? He should have asked Soundwave. What time is it on Earth? No, it is only the beginning of the evening, she cannot be asleep-

 

_/Seen/_

 

Megatron has now concluded that he hates being in love, because he hates moments like these. Being away for a while, he grew a little unfamiliar with how much exactly Y/n affects him. The memories of her and the longing were torturous enough, and this…

 

_Y/n: Welcome back! <3 Where are you right now?_

 

 

…This felt so good.

 

 

_Behind the moon. Will be on the Nemesis within 1.25 Earth hours._

 

_Y/n: Safe descent! Come by later when you’re done on the bridge._

_Y/n: If you’re not too tired, that is!_

 

_Thank you. Y/n, have you seriously considered the possibility of me not coming to see you?_

_I will come to you as soon as I am able._

 

_Y/n: Glad to hear that. I missed you._

 

His spark gives an especially powerful pulse, enough so for him to feel it, feel the familiar warmth making its way from his spark and throughout his entire frame. There is a feeling of a weight being lifted from his shoulders, but also a very pleasant weight in his chassis, a sort of fullness in his sparkchamber. Primus, after several orns of mentally steeling himself for the possibility of something happening, it just feels so good to return to _this._

 

 

_I missed you as well._

 

 

*******

 

When he leaves the command bridge, Starscream is by his side. The seeker talks and talks, and Megatron is so used to the clicking of heel struts behind himself, the constant talking and transparent self-praise that his mind filters most of it out, his main objective now being to reach his quarters and switch to his holomatter avatar so he could just get his hands on-

“And then I fired one of my rockets and hit the Autobot Cliffjumper with it! Heh, that’ll teach that stupid medic to call my equipment outdated…”

Scratch that. The boasting and subsequent muttering behind his back is getting really annoying.

“Starscream, do you actually have anything else _of importance_ to tell me?” Megatron asks, not turning back and letting the seeker hear the irritation in his tone. For a blissful moment, it gets quiet.

“No, Lord Megatron. In fact, I should probably go…?”

“Go.”

 

Starscream quickly says his goodbyes and walks off in the direction where his habsuite is. And also where the bar is. Probably off to stroke his ego going around and reminding soldiers how much of a good job he did while Megatron was away. Same old patterns, nothing new or surprising.

The doors to his habsuite open and the warlord looks over the large room. Everything is just as he left it.  The last shield he used in his gladiator days and some of his servo-held weapons are fixed to the wall on the right. The desk, datapad case and armchair stand in in the corner to the right of the door as well. The large screen showing the view outside is embedded in the left wall, currently displaying the bluish-black, star-adorned early night sky above the Nemesis and the seemingly endless grey clouds below. At the farthest wall, across the large room, stands his berth and simultaneously stasis-pod, massive and rectangle-shaped, with its lid currently retracted. There is ample distance between all these base attributes of his hab suite as it is adequately spacious for someone of his size and authority. The final important piece of furniture is currently deactivated. Megatron walks across the room and momentarily thinks of how he would make the floor in the centre of the room transform back to let a sizeable rectangle-shaped table appear in its place. Usually used for developing strategies in his private time, recently it has been used to discuss the future architectural look and effectiveness of Cybertron’s restored cities. The last holographic map opened was Protihex, if he remembers correctly.

But all that – the maps, the time they would spend in his quarters - it would come later.

The mech gets into berth, making sure both his door and the lid of his pod are closed securely before taking a deep breath to cool his suddenly restless frame down. Closing his optics, he activates his holomatter generator, casting his consciousness out of his frame.

 

 

And so, he stands before Y/n’s door. The floorboards creek under his weight.

Just like that, Y/n knows he is there.

 

The mech opens the door. It doesn’t even finish opening when he already has Y/n against his chassis, his spark reacting faster than his processor as his arms immediately close around his lover, holding her tightly. His optics are half-closed, staring off into nothingness as he is overwhelmed by how _good_ just holding Y/n again feels. They stay silent and he feels how strongly the young woman’s hands are gripping him, he hears her sigh in relief as her head is resting against the nook of his neck plating. Slowly, Megatron turns his head and presses his lower face to her hair, his spark pulsing rapidly as his olfactory receptors pick up her familiar smell, the smell he even dreamt about while away. The silky, familiar feeling of her hair against his face - something once so novel to him – makes him sigh and close his optics in contentment.

“Welcome home, Megatron,” he hears Y/n’s quiet, gentle voice and cannot help himself as he holds her just a little tighter. Could she even comprehend how unprecedented her case was?

He nods, sighing into her soft h/c hair.

“Thank you, Y/n,” he replies just as quietly before pulling away a bit, his lover doing the same. His optics meet the affectionate gaze of e/c eyes and, Primus, he loves the woman. He missed this, missed her. That is all he can think about right now. His lips are on Y/n’s and he cannot help but sigh in quiet delight when she kisses him back with a desperation that matches his own. Her arms are around his neck while his arms hold her like someone is about to take her away from him. They soon find themselves on the bed and oh how he waited to be this close to his dear Y/n again - to feel her touch, to caress her in return and feel her body react in a way that is his and his alone to experience. Her breaths, her moans, her whispering and gasping his designation – it is enough to make him heady, make him feel like he is going mad. He loves everything about it.

 

It is after their pleasure-filled release - when the mech lays his heavily-breathing beloved on the bed with utmost care and kisses her, about to turn and lie next to her – that Y/n stops him by gently placing her hands on both sides of his helm.

“Stay,” she asks of him softly, her eyes still clouded by pleasure, but looking at him with genuine need. His holomatter frame - even if he manipulates its mass - is still considerably heavy at its lightest. Even so, Megatron gladly obliges since he knows well that Y/n can handle it. Y/n’s arms snake around his neck and he mech leans down, his faceplate now hidden in the nook of Y/n’s neck. He presses a kiss to the warm, slightly damp, soft skin and feels her hands caress the back of his helm and neck, his back and shoulders slowly. He closes his optics, enjoying the attention. How he missed this. He should probably voice that.

“I have thought about this while I was away,” he shares, “A lot.”

He hears his lover exhale with a little soft chuckle and feels her press a kiss to the side of his helm, her arms settling around him and holding him in a tight embrace.

“Me too. I missed you,” the young woman tells him, hugging him even tighter, “A lot.”

There is a note of what sounds like sadness in her voice and it alarms him somewhat.

“I missed you as well, Y/n,” the mech assures, subconsciously noting that the effort to actually utter the words now is significantly less than earlier in this strange relationship, “Is something the matter?”

“I’m fine,” he hears a quiet reply as delicate fingers hook into the smaller details of his back armor, “It’s just good to have you back. I couldn’t help but worry.”

 

Of course. If his mind made up reasons for him to be concerned for Y/n’s wellbeing while he was away, the mech could only imagine how worried she was, despite knowing who he was and that very little could pose a threat to him. Space travel was not something humans were used to, and Megatron being at war did not exactly help matters. Still… despite knowing of Y/n’s distress, a part of him greedily celebrated being so treasured, knowing that he was that much closer to making Y/n decide in his favour when the time to leave Earth came.

 

“I am back now, Y/n,” the mech says with a kiss to his lover’s neck, “So now you can worry about me while I am at war here instead of there.”

His attempt at humour proves successful - he hears Y/n chuckling and feels a weak slap on his back.

“You are evil,” she accuses, her hand returning to rest on the back of his helm as she lets out a small sigh that sounds somewhat more light-hearted than her previous ones, to Megatron’s relief, “Just let me hold you.”

“With pleasure,” the warlord murmurs, only happy to stay in this position. He keeps his optics closed, his audials focused on the young woman’s breaths and on her heartbeat while the sensitivity of his holomatter metal is enough for him to feel every loving touch of those hands he so treasures. It is all so soothing, like nothing else. His frame feeling heavy in this pleasant relaxed state and his mind becoming slower and lazier by the klik, Megatron presses his lips to Y/n’s neck absentmindedly once more - a quiet, content rumble coming from deep within his chassis as he does.

 

 

When the Decepticon lord opens his optics again, the lid of his stasis-pod is the first thing he sees. For a moment, he is somewhat flabbergasted, but then he just sighs and shakes his helm in quiet amusement. Evidently, Y/n’s presence and caresses were enough to literally lull him into recharge. Not the first time this has happened, but he did not expect it so soon after he had returned. He checks his internal chronometer and slightly raises his optic ridges – he had gotten more than enough cycles of recharge. It is no wonder he feels so well-rested. And in a gracious mood. For now. Until he has to step outside his quarters and face not only the problems Prime constantly causes, but also the processor-ache that his lieutenants could be.

 

But that could wait a while.

 

Closing his optics again, the mech switches his consciousness to his holomatter avatar. It is before noon; maybe he will get a chance to see his lover’s sleeping face. Appearing in Y/n’s bedroom, he sees that the bed is empty. His olfactory sensors, however, pick up on the faint smell of coffee coming from the living room. When he steps into the room, Y/n is already turned around, smiling at him warmly.

“Good morning,” she all but chirps and it brings a very noticeable flash of joy to his spark to see her so chipper and happy to see him. The mech cannot bring himself not to offer a small smile in return. It is good to be back.

“Indeed it is,” he nods as he comes up to Y/n, casually letting his left servo rest on her silk robe-covered side, “Good morning to you too.”

He leans down and gets his rightful morning kiss, his lover’s lips soft and warm, with a slight taste of coffee to them. He relishes how the young woman looks at him after the kiss, adoration clearly visible in those e/c eyes as she opens them and smiles again.

“Coffee?” she asks and Megatron nods. He plans to fill her in on at least the basics of his journey since he did not get to do that yesterday, so he might as well smell and drink some of the black beverage. Y/n nods as well and turns around - silk sliding over the metal of his palm - his servo ending up touching her other side now that she stands with her back to him. As the human femme gets his cup and makes him some coffee, the mech thoughtfully lifts his other servo and carefully runs it through her already brushed hair, digittips sinking into h/c strands.

“I’ve been wondering what I should do with it,” his lover tells him, “Should I cut it to how it was when we met? Let it grow out some more? Try something new?”

“I have no experience with hair outside of yours and that which appears on my human holomatter avatar,” Megatron reminds, “Truly, I am probably the least knowledgeable person you could ask.”

“You don’t need ‘experience with hair’ to give me your opinion on how you feel about mine,” Y/n chuckles.

“I like yours,” he states simply, “Even though initially it was very…novel. Whatever you wish to do with it, I am sure nothing can detract from your beauty.”

 

His lover stills for a moment, then gives a soft giggle.

 

“Oh aren’t you a charmer, Lord Megatron,” she says, looking over her shoulder and if there was ever a thing the Decepticon lord would deem ‘adorable’, it was Y/n when he manages to make her cheeks look rosier.

“Under the right circumstances,” he tells her, his digits sinking deeper into his lover’s hair to very lightly scratch at the tender skin at the back of her neck. Her shoulders immediately go up as she lets out a delighted little laugh that makes him very proud of himself.

“Ack! God, go sit down somewhere, will you?” she half-orders, smirking.

“It is simply ‘Megatron’ to you,” he smirks as well and, as she rolls her eyes playfully, he obliges and proceeds to the newly-acquired sofa. It is wider than the last one and has a nice spring to it, and the mech decides that he approves of it.

He finally tells her of his travels – of planets and nebulas and shipwrecks - but not before she teases him about how ‘adorably’ he fell into recharge the day before and proudly admits to the accusation that it was her fault that he did. This morning - it is almost too much, too filled with interactions that would probably make him roll his optics at how saccharine it should have felt and how improbably, suspiciously perfect it should have seemed…if he was not the one experiencing it. As is and as far as Megatron is concerned, however, he would not at all be opposed to having this for as long as possible.

 

 

*******

 

“Well, you’re in perfectly good health, my liege,” Knockout says with his almost-ever-present smirk glued to his faceplate as he looks over the readings on the medical computer in his forearm, “I can install a few upgrades I’ve been working on while you were away, however.”

Megatron casts a sceptical glance at the medic as he was already on his way out of the medbay.

“What kind of upgrades, doctor?” the warlord asks with a tone that should tell the red mech that this should be worth his time.

“Oh just a little this and that,” Knockout makes a vague gesture with his servo, “A small reduction of the heat your frame receives from that big bad fusion cannon, a few adjustments on the holomatter generator. I can throw in some general prophylactic maintenance of your frame, if Your Lordship is interested.”

Megatron raises an optic ridge. Those are actually useful upgrades, however minor.

“Very well,” he tells the doctor, walking towards the large table that serves both as an operating and an examination one and hearing Knockout’s smaller, hurried pedesteps behind himself. While he works, the medic explains everything that is going to be changed. Megatron listens, but is barely interested beyond informing himself on the bare facts of what is being done to his frame. When he hears about a particular upgrade to the holomatter generator, however, he looks at his chief medical officer demandingly and with some suspicion.

“And what would be the point of _that?”_ the warlord inquires. Has the medic figured out Megatron’s connection to Y/n? The young woman certainly would have mentioned to Megatron if she had told Knockout about them. Was it for… _personal use_ between Knockout and his assistant?

“Eeh, it was a dormant code I stumbled upon,” the red mech explains, clearly somewhat uneasy under the gaze of Megatron’s optics, “You can turn the option on and off, so I guess it was somehow used when the Autobots needed to maintain a holoform despite losing consciousness? In any case, if you do not need it I can take it ou-”

“Just finish up already,” Megatron orders, putting enough disinterest into his voice for his indifference to the upgrade to seem believable, “And doctor, let me remind you. If I ever hear of your work being affected by you playing around with this device, I will find a way to make you regret ever touching it.”

“Me? Lord Megatron, _please,_ I’m a professional – nothing less than my best for you,” the medic assures, but the small chuckle at the end of his sentence betrays his nervousness. Ah, so it _was_ done for the sake of Knockout’s and Breakdown’s…indulgences. Good to know.

 

 

*******

 

 

The first night he spends with the new feature of the holomatter generator switched on, he does not sleep. It is one thing to let himself fall into recharge knowing that his avatar's body would just disappear and he could continue his slumber as he has his whole life – in his own frame. This…was something different, something his instincts were disapproving of despite his mind being aware that nothing could happen to his avatar while in Y/n’s cabin. The knowledge that the destruction of a holomatter avatar was not enought to kill the bot using it, but could still cause damage was apparently making him subconsciously avoid sleeping.

 

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep too in I was in your place,” Y/n says as she rests on top of him, the room completely dark. They have been conversing during the entire night and, while Megatron would rather his lover got some sleep, he knew all too well she loved staying up late anyway. Megatron sighs, not so much irritated as disappointed.

“I expected this to happen. Letting myself fall into recharge in a frame so much smaller than my natural one feels like a strategically unsound move.”

“Yes, watch out, there are dangers all around,” the young woman gives a little soft laugh, but before he could speak, she adds, “I know what you mean. When you’re used to a certain level of security - either from the place where you sleep or the frame you’re used to - you can’t force yourself to relax and fall asleep when presented with anything less…at least, initially.”

The warlord nods, his optics closed as he lifts one of his servos from Y/n’s back and strokes her hair – it’s a soothing activity, touching Y/n, it makes him relax like little else.

“Indeed. You speak like you have experience,” he notices. His lover lowers her head onto his chassis, her cheek soft and pleasant against his metal.

“Maybe,” she tells him, aware of how curious he was by nature, especially when it concerned her. She stays silent for a brief moment, then continues, “I’ve had to get used to living somewhere that is not my parents’ house, then somewhere that is in the middle of nowhere while there were dangerous people looking for me, then on an alien warship and then back on Earth, where there are no metal walls or doors, or cybertronians keeping me safe. I’d say I have some experience.”

Megatron takes a second to think this over, the part about Y/n needing time and effort to readjust living on Earth especially of interest to him. If that was the case, then his plan of slowly but surely making Y/n more and more inclined to one day leave this planet was already bearing small, yet satisfying fruit.

“You indeed have,” the mech agrees, “Any helpful advice?”

“Well, you can’t bruteforce it.”

“I noticed.”

“Wait for it to happen eventually and kiss me in the mean time?”

The corners of his mouth rise as Megatron half-opens his optics, their red light making Y/n’s e/c eyes glimmer as she lifts her head to look at him. Satisfied with his lover’s advice, the warlord pulls her closer and does exactly as suggested.

 

 

*******

 

 

The second attempt that came sometime later resulted in Y/n eventually lighting a few candles and them working on their respective things in the dimly lit room. The third attempt should have not been called a proper attempt really, since they ended up spending the entire night busy indulging in whatever pleasure they could offer and receive in return. Not surprising, really, considering how much time they have spent apart. The fourth was unsuccessful since they got into an argument about how he apparently had 'anger issues' that made him 'impulsive' whenever Optimus Prime came into the picture. He would not expect Y/n to know what a friendship, betrayal, then rivalry spanning millions of years feels like, but at least she was not willing to argue until he got _truly_  furious with her.

 

And then it just happened suddenly, Megatron finding himself waking up while still in his human-sized frame. He seemed to have drifted off into a shallow kind of recharge while resting on the couch, his helm on Y/n’s lap as the young woman studied up on cybertronian pre-war politics. It was the middle of the day, the TV was on - even if it was turned to a low volume – and his lover’s nails sometimes tapped quietly on the surface of the tablet she was holding. 

The mech lay there with his optics half-open, listening to the sounds around him and looking up, at the back of the tablet above his head and the hand that held it. All was peaceful - the small human house that was once so unusual and strange to him now comfortable and familiar with its abundance of wood and textile things, human furniture and smells of human things. Then again, it could be this house or any other place – that was not what made the mech feel ‘at home’, enough so to slumber outside his own frame. The tablet above his helm was moved to the side, Y/n looking down at him with slight curiosity and an affectionate smile, probably wondering what he could want. Megatron reached up, digits burying in h/c hair as he urged Y/n to lean down to give him a taste of those lips he loved so much.

 

When he awoke the next morning from a private message from Soundwave, who sent him a condensed version of some general reports, the mech immediately realised that that he still had Y/n at his side. A little more than a stellar cycle ago something being next to him while he slumbered would be enough to immediately set him to high alert. But now, knowing who it was next to him, the warlord just lazily opened his optics and looked to his right. Awakening to holding Y/n while she was still asleep for the first time felt….for all of his eloquence, he would not be able to describe it, even to himself in his mind. It made his spark hum in appreciation and contentment. All was quiet in the house as he looked over his lover - her head rested on a pillow that she had placed a bit lower than where his shoulder was and his servo was still on her side, keeping her close.

This new development would make him even more attached to Y/n and he knew it. He had the willpower to keep nights like this to a set amount if he wished to…But frag that, _this_ was what he wanted.  He would not let anything and anyone – especially himself – to stand in the way of him having this. However long it lasted.

 

 

*******

On the 15th of February, when they exit the small, human-sized groundbridge, Megatron thinks that Y/n had brought him to a place he has never been before instead of visiting the old mansion. In front of himself, the currently human-avatar-wearing warlord sees a snow-covered clearing with a forest slightly in the distance. He slowly casts a look around himself. Once he turns and sees a familiar building, he knows that this is indeed the previously overgrown and abandoned place. While certainly still recognizable as the once sad old human-built structure from before, it was now ‘nurtured back to full health’ as Y/n had put it earlier this day. The windows, once broken and hollow, were now reflecting the almost white cloudy sky with their clean glass. The previously dust- and flora-covered stone walls and columns were now clean and making the building look much brighter than before – the mansion itself was a light grey while the columns were white marble. The dead and dying trees were removed from around the building, some of the young or healthy looking ones (though that was purely speculation – Megatron was no expert in trees, they all looked dead to him during the winter anyway) left to the sides of it. Also, there was a roof above the entire house now, not just most of it.

 

He could feel Y/n’s eyes on him as the young woman expected to hear his opinion.

 

“If the house was sentient, I believe it would have owed you an expression of gratitude,” the Decepticon lord muses, “Is this what you envisioned when you wanted to have it?”

“Yes,” his lover nods as a puff of vapour comes from between her lips and she directs her gaze to the mansion, “So, initial thoughts?”

“I am no human architecture enthusiast,” he reminds her thoughtfully, but then adds, “But now it does look suitable for you to stay in. Though I am still not sure why you did not want something of bigger proportions.”

“Like a castle or a bigger manor?” Y/n smirks, “I mean, I like castles and manors, maybe I’ll find the time to restore one just as a hobby one day. But this is more than large enough for me to live in. And I like the original aesthetic of the house.”

 _“Aesthetic,”_ he deadpans, teasing his lover a little. She had a fondness for small details Megatron would not even look for and, apparently, those details were one of the key factors of her deciding to give this place in particular a new life.

“Aesthetic,” she repeats with a hint of proud stubbornness to her voice. They glance at each other knowingly, smirking, “Admit it, nothing built on a human scale would ever be considered grand enough by you, anyway. Now, shall we begin the tour?”

Megatron nods both to the statement and to the invitation, following the young woman as she walks towards the building.

“This Greek Revival mansion was built in the year 1905,” his lover tells him, gesturing unhurriedly at the house in a half-circular motion, “The first owner was not of nobility or any ‘old money’, but an entrepreneur who was smarter, luckier or – maybe - sneakier than his rivals. We can’t know for sure if he came to wealth by just or unjust means, but we do know that hisorical records say that he traded in goods from overseas and owned a few hotels. I like to believe that he was a nice guy.”

Megatron is not exactly interested in the humans who had once lived here and had long since died, but he does like to listen to Y/n speak, to see the proud glint in her eye as she introduces him to the building for a second time, now that it looks presentable. They walk up several white marble steps and Y/n turns, putting her hand on the closest column as she continues:

“Now I won’t bore you with all the details of this house’s history, it’ll be enough to say that this house was owned less by the entrepreneur and more by his wife, who had wanted it to look beautiful enough to represent their status whenever fancy dinner parties were held here, but also be homey enough for their children to grow up in and close friends to feel relaxed in. Not so sure what she’d think of my attempts at restoration, but I have to give it to her – it was really fun to work based off what was left of the original decorations of the place.”

The man looks over the columns and at the small roof of the porch that serves as the floor to the balcony above. Above the door sits a marble statue of a hawk, its wings sprawled wide open as it looks down at those at the door fiercely. It, the columns and the rest of the porch are clean and look new despite being over an Earth century old. Megatron spots movement from the corner of his eye and the lock of the front door rustles four times, then clicks. Y/n spins a large key (the same one he had once given her on her Birthday) on her index finger and then opens both parts of the double doors simultaneously.

 

“Grand entrance for the Decepticon lord,” she says with a wink before gesturing for him to come inside. Placing a hand over the small of the woman’s back, he steps into the house with her.

 

The first thing that catches his eye in the foyer is not the chandelier, the ceiling fretwork or the rugs covering the floor – no, it is the staircase. He remembers it from his previous visit – even if holding strong, its dark wood was dusty and bleak, cobwebs stretching from baluster to baluster while the wood on some steps had sunken in from decades of use and then abandonment. Now, the staircase has a faint shine to it thanks to being repaired, polished and having layers of lacquer applied to it. The centerpiece of the foyer, it is massive when compared to humans and looks like it could now last another century with no problem at all. There are small, gold sculptures of trees on the starting newels of the stairs, the leaves of their rich crowns made up of hundreds of small pieces of amber. Megatron only recognises the orange ‘stones’ that are actually hardened tree tar because he remembers Y/n showing him some of them when he had once found her spending time at a deserted beach of the Baltic Sea. Where the intermediate landing is, large windows stretch from the floor of the landing and almost to the very top of the ceiling which is much higher here than in a regular human house. The man remembers thinking that, when he was first here, seeing Y/n in the light of those windows was the only redeeming thing about the place. In a way, he still stood by that opinion – despite its regained glory and the young woman’s attempt to convince him otherwise, the only thing of worth in this house is Y/n’s presence.

“The guy who helped me restore the staircase said it was Mun Ebony wood – it’s actually considered critically endangered nowadays, so it was quite the hunt to find old and compatible pieces of mun ebony to properly fix this beauty,” Y/n says with a slight boastful note to her voice, “Fortunately, the ability to groundbridge literally anywhere in the world helped. I even bought spare wood just in case, stored it in the basement.”

“’Critically endangered’ is not ‘extinct’,” Megatron points out thoughtfully as he now stands beside the staircase and looks over it appraisingly, his arms behind his back, “You could have just gotten new wood from the trees that are still available...wherever it is they grow.”

There is silence behind him and when he turns around he sees Y/n standing with her arms crossed, her expression that of slightly amused, but chiding disapproval. He rolls his eyes. Of course. Ecology is apparently important. Satisfied by him noticing his assumption was wrong, Y/n smirks and continues:

“Vietnam and Laos. And while you know I do like pretty things and I love the rich, dark chocolate color of this wood… _no._ Besides, there was not too much to repair anyway, this staircase was built expertly and had the luck of the roof above it not collapsing and exposing it to the elements. Now, if you’d come with me to the left…”

 

To the left of the main entrance is the dining room – it is a spacious room with a large, long table, sizeable chairs and a large rug under it all. Paintings of landscapes decorate the walls and two small, metal four-legged fireplaces stand at the end of the room – one in each corner.

“The chimneys were already there, so I decided to keep the fireplaces,” Y/n explains, nodding to the fireplaces, “I have a modern heating system installed and all, but nothing really beats having a fire to look at.”

“It seems you are expecting to receive quite a lot of guests judging by the size of the table,” the warlord muses, his gaze unhurriedly inspecting everything but not finding anything particularly interesting. This is a human house and – more importantly - a new house for him. He has no attachment to it beyond the acknowledgement that Y/n’s time and attention was put into it. It does look suitable for someone of his authority to stay in, though. For them both to stay in.

“A smaller table would look ridiculous in a room this big and, well, what can I say,” Y/n shrugs and grins, “It looks grand and pretty, and I no budget limits.”

He can see his lover getting more and more excited as she shows him around the house – it is obvious she likes it a lot. Megatron almost wishes he could have been there to see her boss around workers and walking the halls, deep in thought as to what would go where – maybe he would have formed a minimal sort of attachment to the house as well then. Still, he likes seeing Y/n like this and has to admit that it had the potential to grow on him. Even if it is a human building.

They step into the kitchen and it looks more modern than the other rooms mostly thanks to all the kitchen appliances - their new, polished surfaces reflecting the light just like the marble kitchen counters. There are also a lot of kitchen cabinets made of some reddish wood and Y/n mentions that, because she has a tendency to ‘hermit herself away from the world’, she would need a lot of storage space to keep food and other useful things. A small table and two chairs stand at the window and his lover tells him that she usually had breakfast and her morning tea/coffee here while the workers were working away on the house.

 

“I have to say, it took them a lot less time to finish everything than I thought,” Megatron shares his thoughts while following Y/n through a different door, across a small room housing a staircase that lead into the basement and then through a door leading to the hall.

“You would be amazed what you can accomplish if you throw enough money and manpower at it,” Y/n smirks, “I also may have convinced Soundwave to let me borrow some Vehicons to move materials in the dead of night from across the country to here to save up time on transportation.” 

“You ‘may have’ borrowed some of my soldiers?” he asks, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. Logically, he should not like his subordinates being used for personal human projects. Personally, however, he felt glad that his lover used smart ways to reach her goals, using whatever resources she had at her disposal. And, besides, Megatron is sure he knows who were the Vehicons involved – by this point, he was used to them accompanying Y/n for personal matters of their own volition anyway. Y/n looks over her shoulder, curious more than worried.

“You disapprove?”

“I approve,” he nods trying to seem gracious, but his smile betrays how much exactly he approves. Even if he himself was not there while the restoration of the mansion took place, Y/n got use out of her involvement with the Decepticons, with him. And the more Y/n gets used to cybertronian involvement in her life, to _his_ involvement in her life, making it more convenient, the less inclined she would be to settle for being left without it one day. Love is well in good, but Megatron was willing to use any means necessary to tip the scales in his favour.

His lover raises an eyebrow, walking up to him slowly, his eyes focusing on the sway of her hips until he lifts his gaze to look into e/c eyes.

“Now what is it you’re thinking about?” she asks playfully and smoothly, hand touching his chest and travelling up and around his neck, nails reaching and lightly scratching the back of his neck where hair begins. The man enjoys the caress, giving an approving hum as he puts an arm around Y/n’s waist and pulls her against his body. He looks at her meaningfully, letting her believe that his thoughts included her in a very… _particular_ scenario. Now that he implied it, however, he began thinking of it in earnest.

“Let me at least show you the house first,” Y/n says, smiling at him with a satisfied and promising smile and leaning into him more. Megatron agrees, but only after kissing the woman breathless.

“You are making it...very difficult to stay on track,” his lover chides as she takes a breath and that only makes him smirk and cover her lips with his again.

 

Y/n shows him the bathroom/laundry room and a room that has several wardrobes where she ‘can finally store all the coats and jackets I have! And the scarves!’. There is another door next to the room with the wardrobes, but Y/n leads him back into the foyer instead. The living room is bright and has a lot in it, enough to not let the room feel too empty. The floors - much like in the foyer, the dining room and the halls - are made of dark wood, yet not as dark as the staircase. The man notes to himself that the armchairs and the sofa that stand next to the fireplace are large – large enough for him to sit back in comfortably even in his natural-looking avatar. Speaking of the fireplace – it is something more akin to what Megatron remembers seeing in the palace back in Russia. The hearth, legs and mantel are black marble while the overmantel is white marble, tree branches and birds carved into the stone. There are two pairs of small doors fixed to the fireplace. The outer doors are open and are made of glass enclosed in a metal frame, a small golden handle affixed to each of said frames. The inner ones are closed, shaped like metal gates - a frame with a dragon in each, the dragons facing each other as they have their front legs raised and wings spread oped.

“I saw those dragons at an auction in England and I couldn’t help myself,” Y/n shares, practically glowing as she looks over the fireplace. Her enthusiasm definitely has started rubbing off on him, he thinks as he nods and looks over the black and white marble structure. The overmantel goes up to the very ceiling and he has to throw his head back to look over all of it properly. As he does, a sound catches his attention. A sort of…ticking. He turns around and finds the source – a large, tall clock humans call ‘grandfather clock’. It looks peculiar, at least for the warlord – such an ancient mechanism. A nice decoration, though.  Rugs, bookcases, a display case, a bar cabinet and a large TV are the other prominent things in the room, but Megatron pays little attention to them before walking up to a sliding door next to the TV and opening it. Windows stretch across an entire wall of the small room. To the left of the door is a table with a coffee machine on it, and – farther away – a large corner sofa with a glass coffee table standing next to it.

“People call these types of rooms ‘sunrooms’, but I imagine relaxing here when it’s raining…So, I guess, rainroom?” Y/n chuckles as she also peaks into the small room before they continue to the study.

 

The study is a room with many bookcases, a globe standing on one of them. There are books here that are old and new, collected at old bookshops and book premiere signings, found in abandoned houses and bought from online shops, the young woman tells him. Some of the books are her favourites, some are renowned classics of human literature, some are books she is still only panning to read. Basically, this was everything Y/n had found interesting and had gotten her hands on in the time she lived on the Nemesis and travelled all over Earth. A large, heavy-looking wooden desk with a sensor panel covering the top of it stands in the corner, an office chair behind it and two armchairs in front of it. To the left of the door, there is another armchair in the same style.

“Planning to have meetings in here?” the warlord inquires, nodding to the chairs. Y/n shrugs and offers a somewhat unsure smile.

“Not really, but – again – since I was going all out, I decided it’s better to have too many chairs than to have too little.”

 

He supposes she is right. Finally, there is only one room left unexplored on the first floor. There is a door that leads there from the study and Y/n lets him open it himself. And so he does. The door handle is pushed down, the door is pushed open and Megatron squints slightly when bright light hits his eyes.

 

“Now _this_ is the sunroom,” the young woman comments from behind him.

 

It is by far the largest room with the highest ceiling, but it is not what stands out about it. The white light from the cloudy winter sky comes through the large windows stretching throughout the half-circle wall at the end of the room and through the roof window. It shines onto a tree. A tree in the middle of the room, inside the house. It is a fairly small tree, maybe two and a half meters tall, and is currently bare as many trees are in winter, thin branches of the crown reaching to the sides and up. Megatron remembers it being there before, growing despite the remains of the ceiling littering the floor. The man expected it to not be here now.

“It is still here,” he observes and looks to his side where Y/n now stands.

“It took some work. We actually had to uproot it to strengthen some parts of the foundation and get rid of others to let it grow comfortably once we returned it, but now it won’t affect the structural integrity of the house as its roots grow.”

“Sounds like a lot of additional work to have a tree in the house,” he tells her, half-sceptical, half-curious as he looks over the blue mosaic floor around the tree and the burgundy stone border that is placed in circle around it. He admires that Y/n thought about the foundation of the house first and foremost, but wonders why she would want a tree in the house. What is it with humans putting plants in their rooms?

“Yes, well,” Y/n shrugs and looks over the tree, “We’ll see if it survived the ordeal once spring arrives. Until now it just looks like I have a dead apple tree in the sunroom.”

 

They walk around the tree, the sound of their feet hitting the bright hardwood floors echoing across the room, and there is not much aside from armchairs and a large sofa here. The room is very spacious and bright and Megatron enjoys all the extra room the house has. That many windows, however, make him somewhat concerned. He mentions this to Y/n and she grins knowingly.

“ _Right?_ It’s pretty, but I’m glad I’m not the only one who got the feeling,” she says and knocks on the glass twice, “It’s bulletproof glass. Won’t do much against cybertronians, but neither would brick walls. Against humans, however, very effective.”

The man nods approvingly, appreciative of the thoughtfulness of his partner. Then again, with what she went though, it was to be expected. He looks outside and there seems to be a covered porch outside with a bench standing there. Beyond that, a clearing stretches far before changing to a forest – a black stripe between the snow-covered ground and the white cloudy sky.

 

They continue to the second floor and, as he walks on the intermediate landing, he looks through the windows, down at the sunroom below. There is no second floor above the sunroom, allowing the light to come through the windows he was now looking through. It makes the second floor of the mansion significantly smaller, but it is mostly bedrooms anyway. The Guest Bedroom with an attached bathroom is to the right of the stairs and makes him question who would Y/n want to let stay over here. Parents, perhaps? Human friends? Next to the guest quarters, there is a room storing clothes - it has mostly shelves to the sides and a large mirror at the end of the room, and nothing else. Fairly simple and understandable. To the left of the stairs is the Master Bedroom - Y/n’s bedroom, _their_ bedroom.

Inside the room, to the left of the door is a fireplace with a sofa standing next to it and Megatron can already imagine enjoying spending time on it with his lover on some evenings. Farther away is a large bed, a rug under it and nightstands and lamps to either side of it. The bed looks sturdy and new, and the man is satisfied with it. The real test would, of course, come when he would get his servos on Y/n later. There is a bookcase built into the wall here, it stores some decorative trinkets and books that Megatron remembers Y/n talking about being her most favourite ones. ‘Printed out fanfictions’ (whatever that is), artbooks, concept art books are here as well, the pictures of both mythical beasts from human folklore and landscapes of fictional planets sharing the shelves. He only takes a glance at the walk-in wardrobe and then enjoys watching his lover gush over the large bath standing in the Master Bathroom. There are three balconies on this floor – one is accessed from the master bedroom, the other one is exactly the same, but located to the other side of the staircase and can be accessed from the hallway, and the third is a small one, located above the front porch. He and Y/n look at the scenery from both the front and the back of the house and, while the land is covered in snow and the sky is bleak, he still deems it acceptable.

 

The attic is mostly empty, light coming through the small round windows at opposing sides of the room and onto the pale wooden floorboards. Y/n explains that she was planning to dedicate the space to storing all the things related to her wings and flight suit here, but for that to happen she would have to invite Knockout and Breakdown there first to determine what she needs and how to properly install all of it. And – to his satisfaction - she wanted him to visit the house before anyone else would. The basement is an interesting level of the house. Firstly, while it takes up as large a space as the first floor (minus the sunroom) more than half of it is dedicated to storage - food storage, spare materials, even spare furniture and electronics. The rooms that are not storage are a studio for exercise, a sauna with a walk-in shower, the boiler room and a wine cellar – the last one ‘very different from just being a storage’, apparently. Secondly, the basement showcases the many, highly secure-looking foundation columns supporting the house.

“The house’s foundation is as earthquake-proof and shock-resistant as it possibly could be made to be and its walls have been reinforced too,” Y/n explains when asked and he gives her a questioning, confused expression. There were no earthquakes in this area, why use a shock-cancelling technology that supported Asian skyscrapers on a comparatively small house here? While he was all for protecting his lover from everything that could possibly cause her harm, this felt like something else. The amount of storage space on each floor, the reinforcement of the mansion’s foundation, the carefully re-planted tree in the sunroom…It felt like there was a connection, but beyond the house lasting as long as possible he could not seem to find a reason for some of Y/n’s decisions. Then again…he was no human house expert, really. Y/n could do whatever she deemed necessary and, as far as he was concerned, the house was nicely decorated and would do nicely whenever they wanted to spend time together outside of the Nemesis.

 

“You have done a commendable job,” Megatron tells her while they walk in the direction of the living room. He does not harbour any love for the place yet, even after a tour, but he does appreciate it – and the effort Y/n has put into it – significantly more now.

“Thank you,” the young woman nods, looking at him with curiosity, “Do you at least like it?”

“I do,” he nods, “I will not lie to you and tell you I feel ‘at home’ here, but I could, with time.”

“That’s all I hoped for,” his lover smiles with a small sigh of relief leaving her. The warlord is relieved as well that there is no immediate need for him to love this place. Then again, of course there is not. This is Y/n he is dealing with – being reasonable was one of the qualities that made her so pleasant to be around in the first place.

“Now,” the Decepticon lord asks as they pass the stairs, his voice just a little deeper to clue Y/n in, “Did you finish showing me the house?”

Y/n throws him a knowing look and suddenly takes a few steps back, making him stop and look at her.

“There is still the gazebo,” she tells him as she places a foot on the first step of the staircase. He raises an eyebrow.

“And the stables that I turned into a garage,” his lover continues, her other foot landing on the second step. He begins walking in her direction.

 

Not a minute later, they land on the bed in the master bedroom, Y/n’s amused chuckles soon turning to delectable gasps and moans. Yes, this bed will do nicely.

 

 

*******

 

 

March the 2nd is a Friday. Megatron finds himself in a room that is lit only by the small candles on numerous tables standing all around, the yellowish lights of the bar in the very back of the large room and by the stage lights, the stage itself taking up the space at one of the walls. He dislikes it when he has to be around humans, but – on the whole – it is not _too_ much of a bother since none of them pose any threat to him whatsoever. It is easier to filter the organics out when Y/n is sitting next to him at the somewhat isolated corner booth table they were currently occupying. Clad in an evening black dress and wearing one of the jewellery sets he had given her, his lover is truly a sight that is able soothe him even when there are annoying humans walking, drinking and talking all around.

“Guys, you came!” they hear a familiar voice and pause their quiet conversation to look at Y/n’s second cousin’s significant other. The young man shines with joy, his grin almost annoying in how happy he is.

“Sam,” Megatron's lover rises and walks around the table to give the human male a brief hug, a smile playing on her lips. The warlord simply nods in greeting, his red eyes regarding the young human with mild interest.

“Hey sir- I mean, eh, Max. Maximillian. Bro…Sir?” Sam greets rather awkwardly, trying to determine how to better address Megatron and trying to gauge his reaction by the the older man’s expression.

“’Lord’ would be fitting,” Megatron advises calmly and Y/n purses her lips, trying not to smile as she rolls her eyes while Sam rubs the back of his neck muttering an ‘I’m nervous okay, man?’ with a laugh. The young man fills Y/n in on the details of the concert that is about to happen and both seem excited and proud. Megatron looks around once more. A simple bar, classified as a ‘jazz bar’, located underground. Y/n told him it's a popular place and there are indeed a lot of people here. She also said it's a respectable bar – he decides to just believe her on that, since he has no need or inclination to research the place’s status in human society. Is it something to be proud of, to perform in a place like this? Perhaps. ‘Singer’ is not an official occupation in the war and being able to ‘score a gig’ is not something that would be able to impress Megatron in the slightest these days. Yet, if Y/n is happy – that is enough, then the cousin did good.

 

He is brought out of his thoughts when Y/n sits back next to him, Sam having left to support C/n backstage. 

“Bored?” she asks sympathetically and he just looks at her, glad to rest his eyes on her form once more, “We can go home after C/n performs.”

“Or we could stay,” the man tells her, “You don't need to worry on my behalf, Y/n. I will enjoy the evening as long as you do.”

The young woman smiles at him and nods, leaning into him when he places an arm around her waist as they sip their drinks and wait for the show to begin. It brings Megatron back in a way, sitting and waiting for performers to entertain him - it reminds him of a particular period of his gladiator days when he was already famous, the champion of Kaon.

Many would imagine that it was a glorious time – fame and recognition, and the kind of influence that no other gladiator before him had ever achieved. And it was. But that was only part of it. In truth, while he did indulge in his well-deserved celebratory activities and grabbed whatever he could from life, it was also a period of time where he was most busy, readying himself to take matters to a whole other level. More and more bots were lending an audial to what he had to say, more and more were from cities far away from the Kaonian side of the planet. He and Orion would strategize and plan cycles and cycles on end about how to better lead a revolution, the young archivist getting Megatron necessary files and an inside look into matters in Iacon despite the gradually increasing amount of disagreements between them. Soundwave’s minicons were gathering intelligence, listening to word on the streets, in the mines, in the gladiator barracks and in the houses of government officials, delivering information on what the public opinion on him was, when there would be enough mechs and femmes who would rejoice – openly rejoice – when he took Kaon, and eventually other cities, for himself.

 

All of that was so long ago, carried away by time like rust flakes swept up by the wind.

 

In the end, this and any other world could burn – it was of no consequence. No matter on how many worlds they have to fight and for how long, the outcome would eventually be in the Decepticon lord's favour. While Prime was here, however, Megatron would rather finally end this war. He had Energon to gather and Cybertron to restore, and then rule in a way only he could. Looking to the side and down, he watches Y/n look into her drink and then at the stage where a human was beginning to greet all those gathered in the bar. Y/n fits into his plans nicely, with how she is and how she affects him.

The live music event begins and Y/n’s second cousin is the first to perform. Y/n watches the young man walk onto the stage and Megatron watches her in turn, noting to himself how her throat moves as she holds her breath, how the gemstones sparkle as they rest on the soft skin of her chest and how her eyes sparkle in anticipation and worry. He finally looks over at the stage as well and it is somewhat strange seeing C/n dressed so formally and acting like a performer, since Megatron had remembered the young human as he was a year ago at the Christmas dinner. Then again, it is a wonder Megatron remembered him at all.

Music starts playing and when the cousin begins signing, Y/n breaths out a quiet sigh of relief and Megatron’s eyebrows rise slightly. He was not sure what he was expecting, but not a tender, sad voice singing of love. A quick search of the human datanet reveals it to be a song called ‘Killing Me Softly’ by some singer called Perry Como. Y/n is completely relaxed now, her eyes half-closed as she looks at her relative proudly and enjoys the music, her fingertips lightly brushing against the foot of her glass that now stands on the table. Perhaps, it would not be so bad to spend the evening like this.

C/n sings for about thirty minutes, receiving enthusiastic applause after each song. Y/n all but glows with pride and joy at her relative’s success, quietly mentioning to Megatron how this was a long time coming and that she hopes the lord is enjoying himself. He is. Mostly because of the company, but the music is surprisingly acceptable as well. After his time on stage is over and he bows to his last round of applause, C/n joins Y/n and Megatron at their table while the stage is being prepared for the next singer.

 

“Well you two sure picked the cosiest spot, I almost didn’t spot you,” the young man laughs and brings his arms around Y/n when the latter hugs him.

“I am _so_ proud of you, you were amazing,” she tells the singer, stepping back.

“Thanks! It got easier once I got past the first note,” C/n shares and the young woman nods in understanding, “Hey there, Lord Max.”

Y/n snickers into her fist and Megatron is now aware that his small joke has been retold by Sam. He hmphs in slight amusement before deciding to stand up as well.

“Evening. You did well,” he praises with a nod, “We enjoyed your performance a lot.”

“You hear that?” the cousin looks at Y/n proudly, “I did well. You enjoyed my performance.”

“I enjoyed your performance,” Y/n confirms with a serious expression before the two humans start chuckling. C/n then looks at the warlord gratefully and extends his hand.

“Thanks, man, means a lot. I know you’re not easily impressed, so I guess I really did okay.”

Megatron nods, shaking the singer’s hand.

“You bet you did,” Y/n smiles and puts a hand on C/n’s shoulder, “You and Sam planning to celebrate?”

“Yeah, me and the others performing today are going to have an afterparty later, but for now we’re just chilling in the dressing room. You guys should join us - come over and drink with us, and then we’ll go to the afterparty.”

 

‘Maximillian’ glances at Y/n and they share a look, deciding their fate in a split second.

 

“We’d love to, but we actually barely found time to attend tonight,” Y/n explains to her cousin with the sincerest look of regret on her face, “We have a plane to catch.”

“A plane?” C/n asks, surprised, “Where to?”

“Thailand,” the young woman says without skipping a beat. Megatron nods as he watches her act, the little show very enjoyable for him. He sometimes forgot that his lover was a good liar.

“Wow, I had no idea! Damn guys, that's one hell of a plane ride and you still came by, thanks so much!” the singer smiles wide, looking at Megatron and then at Y/n, “Mom and dad told me to say 'hi' for them, by the way. So, before I run - 'hi'.”

“Thanks, tell them 'hi' for us, too,” the young woman asks and accepts her cousin's parting hug, “And remember, if you'll have crazy photos of the party later – send them straight to me.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?” C/n smirks, “Will do. See you, Y/n. Max, thanks for making the time.”

Megatron nods and the young singer is off, quickly making his way between the tables and to the staff-only part of the bar. The announcer walks onto the stage again and Y/n looks back at Megatron, a playful smile on her lips.

“…You wanna ditch this place and go to Thailand?”

He smirks.

 

 

The time difference between Los Angeles and Thailand is fourteen hours. Just recently they left the dark alley of the large loud city where it was past 22:30 and now they are in the lush, bright tropical forest that is bathed in the early afternoon sunlight. The songs of all manner of birds are drowned out by the sound of falling water - a small river ended abruptly at a reasonably high cliff, water rushing into the lake below.

“I missed this place,” Y/n says with a content sigh as she lowers her arm that she had been previously shielding her eyes with, her vision quickly having adjusted to the difference in brightness. Megatron watches her walk ahead, the heels of her shoes clacking on the stone of the cliff as she approaches the waterfall.

“Care for a swim with me?” she asks as her arms reach back, hands easily finding the zipper of her dress.

“A bit later. The view from where I am standing is too enjoyable,” the man says smoothly, his satisfied voice rumbling in his chest as he watches the black fabric slide down his lover’s body. He hears Y/n chuckle quietly, throwing her necklace and bracelet onto the soft material of the dress and then walking out of the fallen garment. Her bra and panties fall to the ground next and, finally, the young woman steps out of her shoes and stands on the edge of the cliff. He admires the view when she suddenly throws him an over-the-shoulder look that makes him smile greedily. And then she jumps off. A splash is heard four seconds later and when he comes over to the edge of the cliff, he sees Y/n swimming contently in the bright blue lake, her h/c hair flowing around her in the water.

He watches her from above for a while before finally letting the unneeded layer of holomatter clothing dissipate and jumping off as well.

 

 

*******

 

 

“Say, Megatron, are you busy tonight?” the recently-awoken mech hears Y/n ask as she stretches and turns around on his chassis, a blanket wrapping around her body snugly. He likes it when she stays over in his quarters - he enjoys the fact that, despite having two other, more 'human' places they could be sleeping in, she still often chooses to slumber over his spark. Especially after a battle, like yesterday. Prime may have avoided death yet again in their scuffle the day before, but his luck would run out eventually. And when it will, Megatron will be there to finally end the war, once and for all. The Decepticon lord admires the view of his lover while wondering why she would ask that question. Does she want to go somewhere together?

“Unless anything happens or Autobots get spotted again - no,” the Decepticon lord replies, the still half-sleepy rumble of his voice making his lover smile.

“I see,” she nods, putting her elbows on his chassis and supporting her head with her hands as she intertwines her fingers, “Would you like to come spend time with me in the mansion, then? Somewhere in the late evening?”

He can see that Y/n is planning something, but there is nothing to clue him in as to what exactly it is. And, judging by his lover’s expression, he will not get to know until he comes to the mansion in the evening. The warlord nods, making a grin appear on Y/n’s face.

“Wonderful,” she all but purrs, e/c eyes creasing up as she smiles. Megatron has no idea what awaits him, but he feels very intrigued.

 

 

As evening arrives to the time zone where Y/n’s mansion is, he steps out of a groundbridge next to the front porch and looks around. Nothing seems different yet. The door is unlocked and he comes in, noticing that the chandelier in the foyer is set to shine dimly. All is quiet and Megatron looks into both the dining room and the living room, finding them both empty and only then considering calling out for Y/n. Just then, he receives a message through their comm line:

 

_Y/n: Sunroom. Make yourself comfortable._

 

The mech raises an optic ridge in amusement, following his partner’s instructions and heading to the room mentioned. The tree is still there, but now it is covered in strings of white and blue spherical lights that, together with the lights in the corners of the room, make the space look very different from how Megatron got used to seeing it. Not to mention that the armchairs and sofa are also gone, instead replaced by a single massive armchair that is similar to a kind of throne in design, several chunks of small Energon crystals glowing at its feet. Interesting. Smirking, the mech makes his way over to the armchair and sits in it, looking around after that, waiting for something to happen.

 

And something does.

 

The lights go dark, leaving only the illumination provided by the Energon crystals at his pedes and the moonlight coming in through the skylight. Most of the room is plunged into darkness and, from the shadows in front of him, he hears the quietest rustling, swooshing sound. Out of the shadows and into the white moonlight that is spilling onto the tree and onto the floor in front of the him walks Y/n, and Megatron immediately knows what this is, his breath catching in his vents as he looks at his lover in awe.

Her feet are bare, adorned by thin silver ankle bracelets with small rubies dangling from them, glimmering in the light as she walks. Purple see-through skirts run down to the very floor, the light-weight fabric flowing and exposing high-cut slits above each of his lover’s legs each time she takes a quiet, slow step. A wide, decorated silver belt hangs around Y/n’s hips and the same red gemstones shine in it. The belt seems oddly familiar and a moment later Megatron recognizes it being cybertronian in design – specifically, like the belts used by the most prestigious dancers, those who performed in theatres or privately for the most influential of cybertronians. His lover wears wide, gem-encrusted and engraved cuff bracelets and a headpiece of the same design, and the extra touch of it being _his_ planet’s adornments that she wears for him is a very effective and flattering surprise. Especially since it suits his beloved so much. Her chest is covered by a purple lace bra that is embroidered with silver thread and her neck has no necklaces on it, instead painted with silver luminescent paint - the paint accentuating the lines of her neck and collarbones as well as adding beautiful patterns to Y/n’s skin. Same patterns can be seen under her eyes, on parts of her arms, on the backs of her hands and on her exposed abdomen.

“You like it?” Y/n asks as she stops, still too far away for him to reach. She smiles and brings her hand up to her lips, and a long, purple veil follows her hand as it's attached to the end of her bracelet. The woman inclines her head to the side, her long ruby earrings sparkling; her hair, kept in a high ponytail by the headpiece, falling to one side over her shoulder, h/c strands silvery in the moonlight. Megatron nods, a highly pleased smile appearing on his lips as his optics look over his lover appreciatively.

“Very much,” he admits, then plays along, the feeling of anticipation strong in his spark - he is given a present and he can't wait to enjoy it, “Would you dance for me, my Y/n?”

His lover gives him an approving, flirtatious look. He almost expects her to playfully say ‘Yes, my lord’, but the reply he gets it even better:

“Only for you, darling,” she utters smoothly.

 

Oh, how he wants to grab her and kiss her now, but he makes his frame stay in place. Y/n notices the momentary struggle in his optics, however. Her teasing chuckle reaches his audials as the strings of light on the tree light up again and Y/n twirls, taking several steps away from him, the skirts and veils rising up into the air around her and then falling down gently when she stops.

“I hope you enjoy the show,” his lover’s lips murmur to him as she makes a gesture as if reaching out to him before gracefully turning her palm and raising her hand up to the sky. The lights of the tree slowly turn to a deep blue, Y/n’s garments becoming a dark shade of blue as a result as well. The moonlight casts its white, silvery light upon the young woman and Megatron sees her chest rise and fall as she takes a deep breath, her eyes closing for a moment. Then, he hears music.

It is slow at first, lyrical and flowing. Earth’s piano and violins if he isn’t mistaken. His lover’s other hand comes up as well in one fluid motion, in synch with the quiet cry of the violin – and, just like that, he is completely hooked. Y/n’s hands come down swiftly and the veils attached to her wrists come falling down as well, fabric moving in the air as if some sort of liquid. Slowly, the woman raises her arms to the level of her chest and rises to the very tips of her feet simultaneously. A moment – and she throws her leg up, skirts parting and flying up as she twirls around on one leg, then brings her foot down, taking a step to the side and twirling once more, after that straightening her whole body again as she stands on her tip toes, her arms continuing to move to the music gracefully. It takes but a moment for all that to happen and as this dance in the silvery blue light continues - graceful and elegant, showing off both his lover’s flexibility and beauty to the music – Megatron is completely captivated. He does not remember any of the dancers that had ever performed for him, at all, but he recognizes cybertronian dance elements when he sees them appear in Y/n's dance, seamlessly interwoven with movements native to her own species. It makes him wish he could watch her forever. He feels his spark anxiously pulse when he notices the violins beginning to quiet down and, when Y/n stills, her hands crossed over her heart and her head turned so that her cheek touches her shoulder, he is wholly willing to praise her, even if he was so willing to see mor-

 

The music changes and so does the lighting, bathing the room in red. Y/n opens one of her eyes and smirks, looking at him playfully.

Primus, _YES._

 

The change of pace is noticeable immediately. The skirts and veils, now seeming burgundy in color, follow his lover’s body as she spins several times quickly and then stops suddenly, throwing her hands up. She bends back - skilful as the best of cybertronian dancers and infinitely more alluring - offering her neck, chest and abdomen to the red and white light as well as to his gaze before snapping back up, sliding her leg far out of the skirt’s slit and bringing her hands down quickly. A couple of quick, dancing steps - her hips swaying, the gemstones on her body shining – and he is treated to the spectacle of his lover jumping high up, her body spinning several times in the air. She lands onto the tip of her right foot and twirls a final time before gracefully bringing down her left and letting it slide forward, immediately lowering her body into a side split, head thrown back, lips slightly parted. The warlord feasts his eyes on her chest rising and falling and on the glowing patterns painted onto her skin. His lover brings her left hand to her chest, over her heart, and half-closes it in an almost clawing position, her right hand gesturing towards him as she throws him a look that makes heat flash through his whole frame. A gesture native to Kaon, to honor the champion of the arena. He smiles at her, dentas showing as he looks over this clever treasure of a woman and Y/n gives him a smile of her own - it being a knowing, teasing one. She bends back, plants her hands onto the floor behind herself and then quickly lifts herself, her feet in the air at one moment - ankle bracelets catching the moonlight - and already on the floor at the next. The skirts and veils are not done drifting down when his lover moves again. She continues dancing for him, teasing him by coming closer only to step back once more, her hands ghosting over the curves of her body as he watches her every move. One of her veils slides over the side of his helm as Y/n winks at him, and the warlord’s optics narrow like those of a content yet hungry nitrotiger. She is absolutely stunning. Stunning and all his. To the lively, rhythmic dance music of Cybertron’s pre-war days, she dances and teases until, finally, upon exiting from a spin, she places a knee onto his lap and holds one of her veils with both hands as she hooks it behind his neck and makes their eyes and optics meet.

 

The music stops.

 

They look at each other as the lighting in the room gradually turns to a warm white and gold glow. Y/n still holds the veil around his neck and, as their gazes are locked, Megatron speaks in a low rumble:

“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid optics upon.”

His lover smiles and his lips are on hers at the next moment, servos bringing her flush against him. He would tell her of how much he enjoyed this, how he noticed her attention to detail in all things that were cybertronian and how very much he appreciated it. Right now, however, he wants to _show_ her exactly how much she affected him. And, judging by Y/n’s eager lips on his, she wants him to do exactly that. If there was ever the perfect mate, it was her.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

_Are you busy?_

 

_Y/n: Not really :)_

 

_Where are you?_

 

_Y/n: Medbay. Why?_

 

_Come over to the observation room adjacent to the Combat Simulation Room 1._

 

_Y/n: So mysterious. Will be there in 5._

 

 

On the 14th of March, a couple of days after Y/n had treated him to her performance, he got an idea. Megatron did not dance, at least if battle was not considered a dance. And therein his idea lay. He could not leave Y/n’s thoughtful gesture without a response, could he now? Not when he himself had skills to show off.

 

_Y/n:…_

_Y/n: Why is the CSR full of soldiers and Breakdown?_

 

_Training. ‘I hope you enjoy the show’._

The doors to the Combat Simulation Room 1 open and he steps into it, crimson optics looking over his troops that consist of a good portion of heavies, long- and close-range fighters and, of course, Breakdown. For them, it is a spontaneous and rigorous training session with their master. For Y/n, it is a private show. This will be far from a challenge for him, but he will be faced with the handicap of dispatching his opponents without damaging them too severely and, well, he is fairly certain he will be able to dip down and tap into his experience from the arena to make the show entertaining.

 

The training session begins and it is everyone against Megatron. Clearly, his opponents are outmatched.

 

Breakdown has the most guts, attacking first. Megatron takes his hit right to the palm and closes his servo around the blue mech's fist, showing off by immediately lifting his whole frame by the servo, throwing him overhelm and slamming him onto the floor with a thunderous crash. Vehicons fly in different directions as he goes through them quickly. No firearms are allowed, of course, so he demonstrates his servo-to-servo fighting abilities, throwing in the occasional impressive takedown, knowing that Y/n is watching. Three soldiers pile onto his right arm, trying to slow him down or leave him open to an attack, but he swings his arms like there is nothing on it at all, the three mechs flying off and hitting the wall, the ‘ow’s and ‘ah’s signifying that they were still very much online. He barks at two heavier-framed soldiers to attack him as if he was Prime himself, and, as they try, he kicks one away with his pede while swiping at the other, grabbing him and throwing him into the other troops, causing them to fall over.

 

Then, something unexpected happens.

 

The doors to the CSR open and he is about to punish the mech who was stupid enough to interrupt him, but then he turns and sees that it is actually Soundwave. This was not planned. His communications officer knows this and so he flashes a smiling emoticon on his mask. The fragger. Megatron grins, showing sharp dentas.

“Alright, if that’s how you want it to be,” the Decepticon lord says almost graciously before charging at the mech. They haven’t sparred in a while, Megatron realises as he tries to hit his much more agile friend. But Soundwave also has been in much less combat situations recently, perhaps it will be good for him if Megatron gives him a proper workout. He wouldn’t want his old friend getting rusty. He also wants to give Y/n a good show.

The rest of the soldiers press to the walls to stay safe as metal clashes against metal and a slender, dark frame dances around a larger, steel-coloured one. Soundwave is extremely careful of Megatron’s servos while the warlord keeps his full attention on his spymaster’s quick movements are where all of his limbs are. When his old friend manages to get behind his back and tries to kick him, Megatron’s servo is already there, catching the long pede and throwing its owner in front of the warlord. Soundwave expertly reorients himself in the air and lands on his pedes, servo bracing against the floor as he does, his mask reflecting the light as he lifts his helm to look at Megatron. They both stand up straight and take a few steps to the side, walking in a circle – almost like a dance. The only dance Megatron is proficient in.

Soundwave is the one to charge at him this time, dodging Megatron’s fist and trying to hit the warlord under the arm with the narrow side of his wing-arm. Megatron moves out of the way and metal screeches as Soundwave’s wing drags along the underside of the larger mech’s forearm. They keep at it for a while until, finally, Megatron outsmarts the spymaster and catches him by the shoulder, lifting him up victoriously. In truth, they could have kept up even from this point if this was a serious battle. But both of them know this is for show…And they even ended up having fun during it. The communications officer lowers his helm in acknowledgement of defeat and Megatron lowers him down to the ground before casting a look to where the observation room was, triple-layered Helexian glass disguised as one of the panels on the wall.

 

_Was it to your liking?_

_Y/n:…Very, very much so. _

_Y/n: How quickly can you be in the cabin?_

 

The Decepticon lord smirks, extremely proud of himself. The troops may have interpreted this as a sign of him being satisfied with their abilities, but their relief quickly turns to terror when he orders Soundwave to whip them all into shape before the doors close behind him.

When he comes into the cabin, Y/n greets him with a deep, passionate kiss that feels all the better after a good workout and a victory. She takes him by the servo and leads him into the bedroom, her expression promising him a handsome reward for the show he has given her and oh how he enjoys knowing that he is the one who lit that fire in her e/c eyes.

 

 

 

*******

 

“I know when you’re brooding,” Y/n tells him softly as she stands up from her chair on top of his desk and walks up closer to where he is sitting, his frame tense and optics narrowed as he looks at the screen showing the starry sky outside, “What happened?”

“Nothing, Y/n,” he lies before he thinks it over, more out of habit than out of the wish to truly dismiss her.

“Megatron,” his lover ignores his first answer entirely, coming up to the edge of the desk and looking up at his face with slight concern.

The gaze of his red optics switches to her and he regards her wordlessly for a while. He then looks back to the ‘window’, his expression even more displeased. Y/n sighs.

“Is it Prime?” she asks knowingly and his reply is in a quiet, yet growling voice:

“Yes.”

“What did he do this time?”

“It is not what he did, it is what he _will_ do,” the Decepticon lord explains, “And what I must do.”

Y/n stays quiet, slowly crossing her arms as she patiently waits for him to elaborate. His optics look at the small frame on his desk again, this time staying focused on her.

“Both the Autobot and the Decepticon forces have been on Earth for a small amount of time, but I have a feeling _he_ will force events in such a way that there will be significant, if not deciding battles here.”

His lover nods and he imagines it must be terrifying to hear, he thinks he saw the fingers of her right hand flinch. Y/n’s expression becomes much more serious but she still stays silent, prompting him to continue.

“With how Prime conducts his battles currently and with how uneventful the war is now, despite both of us being on the same planet, I can only surmise that he has cast a long-range call for reinforcements and is stalling for time. Or that he plans to drag this war out for the next several centuries, staying here where it is so easy for them to hide among human vehicles.”

The idea of the war on Earth dragging on for centuries and having even more Autobots here surely gets under the young woman’s skin, he can see her expression darkening, the tips of her fingers pushing into the fabric-covered skin of her arm. Might as well get to the point.

“All the data available points to a particular direction where I could find a significant part of my army. It is a long distance away, but if I do find them, it will be a force massive enough to quickly snuff the Autobots out from wherever they are hiding and end the war.”

“So you’re going away soon,” Y/n concludes in a steady voice, the unspoken ‘again’ hovering in the air, “Do you have an idea how long it would take to bring them back?”

Megatron shakes his helm slightly.

“I am not a hundred percent sure they will be there when I arrive or if the data is perfectly correct. But I will not let this war turn into a never-ending series of small, meaningless skirmishes while Prime stalls for time. Whether he is waiting for reinforcements or just wants to keep me on this planet indefinitely, it keeps me from finally ending the war and returning to Cybertron. I will not have that.”

There is a finality to his words that should let Y/n know that it would be impossible to change his mind on the matter, but he also speaks with no aggression – he is not arguing with Y/n about this, he is simply informing her of what is going to happen. He is expecting her to understand, however - she was always very aware where his prioriries lay. And - as far as she knows - it is in her planet's best interest as well. Y/n breathes out through her nose, looking to the side with cold anger mixed with extreme worry, her body tense.

“Of course you won’t, I wouldn’t as well. You think I like having them on my planet? And if Prime plans to bring more…” the young woman sighs harshly, her eyes narrowing, “Of course you have to go. But, for the love of Primus, bring more soldiers with you this time, please.”

She looks back at him - her expression serious, her eyes worried – and the warlord nods, surprised at how well the news was received. He is no fool, however - he has known Y/n for enough time to know how well she can keep herself under control.

“I will,” he tells her before offering her his servo, “I know it must be terrifying, thinking of our war affecting your planet. I swear to you – I will do everything to defeat Optimus Prime and leave your planet as quickly as possible.”

 

Y/n sighs and it is a heavy, almost pained sigh. She steps into his servo and sits down, her eyes cast down for a moment before she looks back at him, her expression somber.

“I know. I know…I just…I don’t see how it would _not_ affect humanity if a larger-scale war ever happens here. I know you wouldn’t expose the Decepticons without a valid reason, but if it comes to that...just thinking of it, thinking of you and Prime and all of your soldiers on my planet…”

Y/n closes her eyes and sighs again, her skin now a shade paler. It is a weight on his spark to watch her like this.

“I will do what I must,” he admits to her, but then adds, “But you would be amazed how many civilizations – some more advanced than yours – were left largely unaware of our battles on their planets.”

“Here’s hoping,” the young woman gives a short, joyless chuckle and opens her eyes again, looking at his Decepticon insignia as he holds her close to his spark, “I wish I could offer more encouragement and support to you, I really do. Believe me, I hope for your victory with all my heart and you know I will help in every way I can, but…”

“This is your homeworld. I know,” Megatron assures quietly, the grateful look of e/c eyes giving him hope that he had added an extra grain onto his half of those scales in Y/n's mind, “It pains me to see you in such distress.”

“Well you can’t exactly just bring the war somewhere else if Prime decided that he likes warring here,” Y/n whispers harshly, the passionate hatred clear in her voice, “I mean, of course there’s Energon here too, but the nerve…”

The young woman closes her eyes again, takes a deep breath and throws her head back as she exhales, after that looking straight into his optics.

“What do we do if the Autobot reinforcements arrive before you do?”

“That is highly unlikely. And even if, I will leave instructions,” he tells her.

“Fair enough. What can _I_ do?” Y/n asks again, voice steady and determined and eyes brimming with fury. The mech regards her for a moment – it is strange being the calmer one in a situation. He knows that – for all of her self-control and in spite of what most may think - Y/n is a passionate creature at heart, but it is unusual and concerning to see her so distressed.

“We will think about it,” he promises, raising his free servo and bringing his index digit close to Y/n, carefully dragging the side of the digit down her arm, “Calm yourself for now. I am not going anywhere right this second.”

 

Y/n looks at him with a steady, heavy gaze and he holds it until she sighs and averts her eyes, looking to the side.

 

“You’re right…Do you know when you’ll be leaving?”

“With how things are, I would say the end of next month, or the beginning of May. Thanatos would have to be supplied for a long expedition and the data should be as properly checked as possible,” the mech informs, then calls out to his lover, “Y/n. Look at me.”

His lover obliges, slowly looking back to him, e/c eyes worried and sad. He carefully places a digit to the side of face.

“You are worried about your planet right now - that is noble. But remember to think of yourself first and foremost. As long as you are on the Nemesis, nothing will harm you. The war and what Prime decides to do is out of your control, but as long as you stay on the Nemesis – as long as you stay safe and by my side – you are affecting the war in a way no other being is or was ever able to.”

There is an immense weight to those words, to what they mean, and Y/n knows it. She looks over his face wordlessly, lips slightly parted before she locks gazes with him again and nods. Megatron narrows his optics.

“Do not try to engage the Autobots - do not spy on them or step into the battlefield,” he tells her, leaning lower as his optics glow in warning, “I need you here _,_ Y/n.”

If the young woman has thoughts that are opposing to his wishes, Megatron does not see it show on her face as she nods again and inclines her head to the right, resting it on his left index digit.

“It’s okay,” she says soothingly, their roles changing to their usual ones once again, “I won’t. Just come back to me.”

The request simultaneously stings and warms his spark and the mech nods, his expression serious as he looks into e/c eyes.

“I will.”

 

An exchange of promises. How sentimental. 

 

 

***

 

 

Today is the 22nd of March and they are spending the evening in the mansion. Y/n just came out of the bath, her hair already dried - they were planning to take an evening stroll through someplace on Earth soon. Megatron sits on the couch, the fire crackling in the fireplace in front of him as he reads up on Soundwave’s estimates considering where Megatron should be able to find part of his army and reports on the Thanatos' state of readiness. The mech does not look away from the datapad, but he does outstretch his servo in non-verbal invitation. A warm, bathrobe-covered body presses first against his palm and then against his side and the warlord closes his arm around his lover as she sits on his lap.

 

“And here I thought you were busy,” Y/n says softly, notes of amusement in her voice as he turns his helm to press his lower face to her freshly-washed and dried hair. _So soft._

 

“Not _too_ busy,” he replies, his optics still focused on the text file. There is nothing on there that Y/n shouldn't see, so he continues reading, even turning the tablet slightly for Y/n to be able to read as well. He does not mind. If anything, he needs her to trust him as much as possible.

“We can take a walk some other time, let’s just stay at home tonight. You can work in peace and I can forgo putting on pants,” the young woman proposes, leaning into him and pulling up her legs to put her bare feet onto the sofa between Megatron’s spread legs.

“That _does_ sound tempting,” the mech admits thoughtfully, his thumb digit moving up and down Y/n’s side over the soft fabric of the bathrobe, “Are you certain?”

“I am certain that I am very lazy tonight,” his lover tells him and places a kiss on his chin before slipping out of his grasp and walking towards the walk-in closet. He hears the bathrobe drop and clothes being pulled on. A moment later, the young woman appears in a simple long summer dress, its wide, frilly sleeves reaching down to her elbows.  A belt made out of the same fabric is tied around the young woman’s slender waist and Y/n gives a little spin when she notices that he has his optics off his tablet and on her. He can’t help but give a little pleased smirk.

 

“I’m going to make us some tea,” his beloved announces with a smile as she puts on her slippers and grabs her phone, “Or would you like coffee instead?”

“Tea is fine,” Megatron nods, his optics already back on his work. He hears the bedroom door open and a soft yet chipper ‘Oh, mom’s calling, perfect…' before the young woman walks down the stairs.

 

 

Ten minutes pass.

Twenty.

 

Is Y/n still talking to her mother?

 

 

Megatron listens closely and hears nothing – no sounds of tea being prepared or Y/n’s voice. An uneasy feeling settles in his sparkchamber immediately. Putting aside his tablet and standing up, the mech walks out of the master bedroom and down the stairs. In the complete silence of the house, he walks to the right, through the dining room and to the kitchen to find no one there.

“Y/n?” he calls out, not loud for now, as he returns to the dining room and then the foyer. Stepping into the living room, he finds Y/n sitting in the armchair closest to him and looking ahead of herself, the look in her eye immediately telling him that something was very wrong.

“Y/n?” he calls her by name once more, his mind already making up ways he would completely destroy whatever or whoever it was who dared to cause her distress. Y/n stands up and he halts his approach for some reason, watching her closely with narrowed, concerned optics. She looks pale, he thinks right before she turns to face him. Her e/c eyes focus on his face and her lips part slightly, the young woman taking a shallow, shaky breath. He is about to take a step forward when he hears her speak:

 

“Granddad died.”

 

Her eyes fill up with tears immediately and the tears roll down her cheeks as she just stands there, looking so lost that it makes him incredibly uneasy. By the time she takes another shaky breath he is already next to her, holding her as she was about to collapse to her knees. The quiet, pain-filled weeping that reaches his audials and the sight of Y/n’s shoulders shaking uncontrollably while she hides her face in her hands and presses her forehead against Megatron’s chassis feel surreal. His body seems to know what to do better than his processor because his arms close around her, one of his servos placed onto her head gently as the mech’s mind is in chaos. Death is something he faces constantly - he is neither afraid of it or afraid to bring it to others, he is indifferent to the cries of those who claim he killed their mentor/brother/conjunx, he does not care about the ‘burden on one’s spark’ or any of that. Death is _mundane_ to him. Sometimes more satisfying when it is a particularly valuable kill, sometimes more disappointing when it was a useful ally who had perished.

 

This…Why is he like this?

 

Y/n. It is because it is Y/n breaking down in his arms, her body completely supported by him as her warm tears stream between her fingers and onto his chassis. He has never seen her like this. Not after he brought her on board, not after Starscream's assault, not after the Alabama mine. It is surreal and shocking. And it is infuriating to know that he is unable to change anything, to realise his own inadequacy in matters like this. Even still, he has to do something. He does not have words to offer yet, not while every sob and stifled crying noise make his dentas clench and his spark respond with a pained pulse. Instead, he carefully lifts the young woman in his arms and starts carrying her to the second floor. The fireplace in the bedroom is still lit - somehow it seems like a good idea to bring Y/n somewhere warmer. She gets quiet by the time they reach the bedroom and, when the mech sits down on the couch, he feels Y/n’s fingers gripping onto where the outer layer of chassis armor begins around his neck. She looks up at him and he would rather have an iron-bear claw at his spark chamber than how seeing Y/n like this makes him feel.

 

“My condolences,” he tells her quietly and Y/n nods, tears coming out of her eyes again and she hides her face under his chin. Carefully, he strokes her hair and back, feeling the trembling of her body as she cries.

“I- I just spoke to him on the phone a couple of days ago. He was completely fine, watering the- the bushes in the back yard as we talked...You know the funny thing,” Y/n says, her shaky breaths hot against the metal of his neck, “My mom thinks I’m at least an hour's plane flight away, so I can’t even go home right now, it won’t make sense, I have to wait, because otherwise nothing will-“

She sucks in a shaky breath and keens quietly.

“Poor mom and granny, I just, they need me now, but I need to wait, _I need to-“_

Y/n sighs and curls up in his lap – it is almost as if she is in physical pain and it takes a lot for Megatron not to ball his servos into fists, instead continuing to hold her. It is so wrong to see her like this, to see her so wounded, vulnerable and broken.

“You will be able to go there soon, then,” he assures, keeping his voice steady and – hopefully – soothing.

“Yeah, yeah…” Y/n takes a couple of shaky breaths and her whole body flinches for seemingly no reason, “I- I need to calm down. It’s going to be bad there, someone needs to keep calm.”

 

Of course she would say that. Part of him wants to argue, to say that she should not be the one to just decide to carry that burden, that she should stay in the safety of his arms and under his watchful optic, but he knows how his lover is. Opposing her now would only bring her more despair, but do nothing to discourage her since she was already determined to act in a way that was natural to her. Instead, he tries to be as rational as he can despite how Y/n’s state affects him. This is not about him, after all. And not about Y/n’s grandfather, who Megatron had no deep attachment to. It was about Y/n. If he wants Y/n to ever leave her whole family behind for him, he should be able to help her deal with the loss of at least one of them.

 

“Then at least allow yourself to cry now,” he advises, the words sounding strange coming from him. Y/n’s body stills. Then, he feels more tears beginning to fall onto his chassis, Y/n pressing her forehead to his neck and weeping. He tries to imagine how it feels like, remember how he felt when Terminus disappeared. If there was ever a time to remember that, it was now. At least the devastating experience would be useful for something. As Y/n bawls her eyes out and he holds her securely in his embrace, the mech’s optics close and he presses his lower face to the top of her head.

Now is not the best time for stories or talking, however. By Unicron, he is bad at this. He is no gentle spark - he was who he made himself to be. But if he could bring Y/n to her senses enough for her to be able to do what she wants, that would at least be something. When the crying quiets down, he lifts his helm and asks, his voice quiet:

 

“How?”

“…Ruptured brain aneurysm, it caused a hemorrhagic stroke,” Y/n replies in a weak voice, her body twitching as she breathes in quickly, “There was nothing anyone could do, granny found him when he was already...cold.”

There is silence as Y/n breathes in and out deeply, avoiding another fit of crying while the mech continues to hold her, quickly consulting the internet on what Y/n was talking about. What a sudden death. He did not know humans could just die like that. Truly, such fragile creatures. He would never tell Y/n that, while she was mourning her grandfather, he had a relieving thought about how glad he was that she was above such unfair jokes of human biology, that something like that would not be able to rip her out of his grasp. Instead, he asks another question:

“What can I do for you?”

Y/n shakes her head and kisses the wet metal of his neck.

“I will come with you, then,” he tells her and Y/n shakes her head again.

“You have a war on your servos,” she protests weakly.

“I do not have a battle right this moment, Y/n,” he reminds, not understanding why she would not want him nearby now.

“Megatron, it’s my family members crying, wailing and acting devastated and angry, and scared. It will be mostly me sitting there holding my mother’s or grandmother’s hands or hugging them.”

He stays quiet, waiting for a convincing reason and Y/n continues, but not before rubbing her head against his chassis affectionately - he takes it as a sign of her feeling at least a bit better.

“I…I need you here right now. I need you to return to. I will need you a lot at the funeral. I-…Does that make sense? I’m sorry, I know I may not exactly make a lot of sense right now.”

 

The young woman sighs, sounding incredibly tired and he just wants to lock her in here and not let her go anywhere, not deal with the emotions of those other humans who matter so much to her but not at all to him. Still, he knows what he needs to do.

 

“I understand,” the mech nods and, when his beloved leans back a bit, places his servos on her delicate shoulders, “I will do what you need of me, Y/n.”

 _“Thank you,”_ she breathes out, her sad, dim e/c eyes filling with sparks of gratitude for a moment before she moves forward again and hugs him, her arms around his neck, “Thank you, dear.”

“Of course, Y/n,” he murmurs, one of his servos holding his lover close to him while the other strokes her back, “My dear Y/n.”

 He feels the young woman’s embrace tighten and her head press against the side of his helm. The knowledge that she was at least somewhat back to her senses made the anxiety that was gripping his spark tightly weaken its hold and back down finally.

 

She leaves soon after and is away for the evening and the next day as well. She updates him sometimes and he is grateful she does, because the restlessness he is feeling is infuriating, the messages that he gets from her serving as small milestones that keep him from going against his word and just groundbridging to where Y/n is. First it is ‘spending time with the family’, and then it is ‘bringing grandma home’, then ‘spending the night at grandmother’s’. She does not sleep the night after making sure her grandmother had fallen asleep, instead sitting in the kitchen and going through the medical reports and then old photos. ‘Granddad’s glasses are still on the table atop his e-book, it feels weird’ she shares before going silent for a while again. Later it turns out that her grandmother awoke, three hours of sleep being all that the old woman could manage in her distressed state. The day goes by and Y/n’s family is busy with all the work that a human’s death brings – informing friends and other members of the family, dealing with funeral arrangements…and so on, and so on. Megatron starts to understand why Y/n would think he would have nothing to do there – after all, he could not do much more than offer his condolences – and that he had already done via phone call to Y/n’s mother. It was unpleasant to hear the woman’s crying yet grateful voice. Was he going soft? Doubtful. It was because this was Y/n’s family, simple as that.

 

He would attend the funeral, however. Y/n said she would need him there and so he would be there.

 

He stays in the mansion, wandering the halls, his heavy pedesteps echoing off the walls. He notices details he never bothered to look for when he had Y/n to turn his attention towards - the carefully picked out smaller decorations, the paintings showcasing places where she, or even the both of them have been at some point. Standing on the shelves in the kitchen are several large cups that are clearly meant for his servos …this is a human home and were he to decorate a place to live he would have done so much, much differently. Like the Nemesis. The interior of the Nemesis - despite what the Nemesis _actually_ was - was molded to suit Megatron's wishes. But this was a place that spoke of Y/n’s involvement from every corner and spoke of her keeping him in mind while restoring this place. And, because of that, it somehow was quickly growing on him.

It is dark outside when the front door opens and Megatron walks out of the dining room and into the foyer. His optics widen when he sees the young woman – she looks pale and tired and even somehow malnourished despite being away for only a day. He almost growls, anger welling up in him – not at Y/n, but at her circumstances.

 

And then she smiles at him and everything in him stills.

 

It is a tired, but loving smile, a smile that left no doubts about how glad she was to see him again. His rage subsides and he looks at her with concern as he walks towards her. The front door closes and Y/n is finally in his arms again, her hand caressing the back of his helm and neck as she leans into him.

“Welcome back,” he greets and hears a sigh of relief leave his lover.

“Thank you,” she says quietly, her voice still sad but at least not as broken as it was before, “And thank you for letting me do this myself.”

“I told you I would do as you wanted,” he reminds, but then admits with a sigh of his own, “Even if it did require patience. How is your family?”

“As well as can be expected, considering…” Y/n gives a small shrug. She tells him of how her family is coping and what she managed to accomplish in the span of this one day before they leave the foyer to sit by the fireplace, where Megatron watches Y/n sit near the fire an thoughtfully move around pieces of burning wood and embers with a poker.

 

The next couple days his lover spends days with her family and evenings with him, be it in the mansion or on the Nemesis. He watches her closely. While not as frighteningly broken as the first couple of hours after the fact, she is still more of a shadow of herself, often absentminded and very quiet. Aside from when she tells him stories of her grandfather – then she is very talkative, her eyes sparkling at the memories. When she talks of the deceased man, it could go either way – sometimes, her eyes would fill up with tears and she would become quiet, turning her face away from him or hiding it in the crook of his neck and other times he even gets to see a wistful smile here or there. This is the most vulnerable he had ever seen Y/n, for the most prolonged time as well, the young woman allowing herself to show him how much exactly she was hurting. Good. While he was known to despise the weakness of others, this was a different matter.

And, in the end, perhaps, Y/n would realise how mortal her human family and friends are and who, on the contrary, would stay unchanged throughout the vorns. The more the usually proud and self-sufficient Y/n relied on him – and only on him - the better. Is it cynical to think of these things while he is helping his lover through emotional turmoil? Perhaps. But he knows what he wants to achieve.

 

She rarely sleeps these days. And when she does, it is only for a cycle or two. He hears her sigh in the middle of the night or notices when she slips out of bed to wander the mansion or the Nemesis, depending on where they are staying that night. He does not stop her, letting her have her time. He is not good at the whole ‘consoling’ thing, but he is also no idiot. The last thing he would do is stand in Y/n’s way of doing what she needs to get over this. Sometimes he follows her to give her company, but most of the time he does not, knowing that – much like Soundwave – Y/n could regain some energy by spending time alone with herself. And if she needs Megatron – she knows where to find him. She always does, returning to bed or to where he is sitting in the morning and he offers her his servo and the warmth of his frame each time. He does not give her longwinded speeches about how sorry he is or how he is there for her, he does not insult her by doting over her like she is suddenly completely helpless or offering fake optimism and empty platitudes. But he does make it completely clear that he is there if she needs him and that whatever she says she needs right now – that is what he will do. And, somehow, it seems like Y/n greatly appreciates the way he approaches this, despite his initial doubts. Perhaps, this is just another way they are compatible in.

 

 

“I had a friend,” he tells her the evening before the funeral as they walk through the woods surrounding the mansion, “A very long time ago, back when I began to be known as Megatronus.”

Y/n shifts her gaze from the crowns of trees and at him as she walks next to him. Continuing to look ahead of himself, he continues:

“His designation was Terminus. He was…a mentor, you could say. A mentor and a friend. I lost him a relatively short time before I met Orion. Would you like to know more?”

Y/n nods and they return home – meaning, the Nemesis – on her request. They find themselves in Megatron’s quarters soon, the warlord having two steaming cubes of ‘hot glowing tea’ delivered to his door on Y/n’s initiative. The young woman herself sits in her armchair atop his desk and just shrugs with a small smile when questioned who is supposed to take care of whom these days. Megatron watches her warm her hands on her cup of tea for a moment before looking to the screen that shows the night sky outside and beginning his story.

 

It is not a long story if one is to only tell facts. It _is_ a long story if one tells it, keeping in the memories and the quotes, and the way it affected him.

 

After Megatronus began gaining popularity in the arena and outside of it, those whose its job it was to preserve things as they were decided to exile him to Messatine – a nucleon mining planet, ice and snow covering the entire surface of it. Nowhere to run, nothing to do but work and consider conforming to the established order. Of course, Megatronus was too stubborn to do that. Discreetly, he continued thinking on ideologies and plans, dreaming of returning to the arena and under the optics of his oppressed brethren.

It was on Messatine that he met a drill operative named Terminus.

Terminus was an older mech and had a callous, cynical type of humour that Megatron supposes Y/n would have found hilarious half of the time and vulgar the other half. The mech had seen a lot in life, even if most of it he had spent in the mines on different planets. He recognised Megatronus’s potential, but that did not stop him from calling the demolitions expert/gladiator a naïve  idealist and someone whose manner of speaking was yet unpolished. While not exactly liking being criticized, the younger mech discovered that Terminus was not only willing to give sharply-worded opinions, but also offer ways for Megatronus to improve. It was an amazing thing to have – somebot to help him, to advise him and mentor him, explaining the nature of bots and that Megatronus could not just give them a great show and some pretty words and expect them to follow him against the Senate.

 

But…But words _were_ a powerful tool that was not to be ignored. ‘You have two weapons at your disposal,’ Terminus told the young revolutionary, ‘Your processor and your fists. You must be prepared to use both.’

 

Megatronus had the passion, the desire to change things and both his speeches and his political writings reflected that. Terminus took it upon himself to proofread his texts and distribute them, even managing to bring them to Cybertron…somehow. Megatron would find out later that the clever and practical drill operative used the corpses of miners that were about to be shipped back to Cybertron, inscribing sections of writing onto the inside of dead frames for like-minded bots working at the melting facilities to distribute after. Words speaking of freedom, of justice, written on the corpses of those who the system had swallowed, chewed up and spat out dead – it did not get any more impactful than that. Morbid, yes. But it worked - both in getting to Cybertron unnoticed and in causing a reaction in specific circles of society back home. And - the way both Terminus and later Megatron saw it – those miners were helping bring closer the day when no such thing would needed to be done in order to simply bring about basic rights for all members of the same species.

But, at the time, Megatronus did not know of any of that. And he did not need to know, in case he was ever questioned. He was still being watched, after all, by those who expected him to cause trouble.

 

‘You just continue writing, kid,’ the drill operative smirked and lightly pushed the side of the younger mech’s helm with his fist, 'Primus knows, those bright mind and spark of yours may just bring us all somewhere.’

And if not, both Terminus and Megatronus would at least die trying.

 

A vorn went by, then another one. Megatronus would train whenever he was not working, concerned about losing whatever fighting abilities he had acquired while in the arena. Terminus would find some far corner of a mine for them to spar and for Megatronus to write in in peace. He would find ways to cover for the exiled gladiator when mining supervisors became suspicious and he taught Megatronus how to think more practically, more strategically, more aware of the nature of society. The future warlord would practice his speeches to the mech while the latter left his drilling equipment on so that no one else would be able to hear and chuckled at Megatronus’s eagerness and his passion.

 

Then a mining accident happened, leaving Terminus with no legs. Attaching new legs – what could be easier? Y/n had been present and assisted at those kinds of procedures more than once, had she not? But times were different back then and a simple lowly miner was not worth the cost of fixing. None of them were. While the higher-ups did not outright put Terminus down like a crippled mechanimal (though that was the norm in some other mines), he was simply left lying on a rickety metal berth, disabled and useless, the supervisors either forgetting about him or just waiting for him to expire – he was an older mech, after all. Megatronus was not about to let that happen, though. While still receiving rations, with the injuries he had sustained, it was not enough for Terminus. So the younger mech acquired a hose that he would attach to his own frame and use to transfuse his own Energon into his friend, despite the latter’s protests.

Eventually, the mine supervisors took notice of Terminus. One day their ignorance was bound to run out. And so when it did, they got suspicious as to the former drill operative’s involvement in anti-government activities, in him possibly helping Megatronus who was probably up to _something,_ they just did not know exactly what yet. They came to Terminus while Megatronus was working his shift and threatened him, demanding he tell them if the miner from Kaon had something planned, if Terminus was conspiring with him. The threat did not work, however, only lighting a fire under the old mech's aft instead. Terminus took the young gladiator by the shoulders and ordered him to write more, think more, to sharpen his glossa to be able to hold his own in a debate against those who would try to belittle his ideas and goals.

 

‘A crowd is a crowd, Megatronus,’ he said grimly, cyan optics burning with determination, ‘You can’t just yell at them to go change things. Everyone will stand around waiting for someone to step up and lead them, someone who isn’t afraid and who doesn’t take any of that scrap the Senate is spewing. You need lead them. Don’t wait around for them to come to you and tell you they’re ready to fight for you – you’ll be waiting until Unicron reawakens. Show them who you are and what you can do, then grab them by the collar plating and tell them that they can either die where they're slaving away now or join you. You need to become a rallying point, a figurehead, if this revolution stands a chance.’

 

Ironically, those were some of the last words he heard from Terminus. A massive nucleon disaster occurred in the mine and Messatine, the whole planet, needed to be evacuated. Running through the tunnels filled with fleeing miners, Megatronus made his way to where Terminus’s berth was...only to discover that his friend had disappeared. Megatron leaves out the part where - just before the accident - he was fighting off a task force sent after him to bring him to the Institute in Iacon where they were planning to essentially lobotomize him. Y/n knows about the Institute and that he was once in danger of being brought there, there was no reason to repeat himself.

And so he left Messatine, alone, his friend and mentor lost, his words engraved deeply in the young gladiator’s mind. Once he was returned to Kaon, he was quickly met by the same miner friend who had helped him discreetly put Raxor to rest – Impactor. While their differences in opinions would later become the cause of Megatron and Impactor fighting on opposite sides of the war, at that point Megatronus’s hot-headed friend was ecstatic to see him back and passionate as ever, even if that passion was fuelled by the fury of losing someone special. Megatronus would dedicate his most prominent writings to Terminus at one point. Before he realised how sentimental that was. Terminus always warned him of the realities of the world they were living in, so in the revised edition the mech was not mentioned once. It was not for the world to know who Terminus was and what he meant to the leader of the revolution, that was Megatron’s scar to bear. Only a very select few knew the name of the drill operative from Messatine, but even veteran Decepticon generals had no idea he existed.

 

He finishes the story and, once he turns to Y/n, he sees piercing e/c eyes looking at him, the young woman’s expression serious and filled with sympathy.

“My condolences,” she tells him quietly. Instinctively, he raises his helm higher proudly at first, but then sighs and allows himself to relax again, the steady gaze of his crimson fixed on his confidant, his lover.

“It was an eternity ago,” _…But is there a difference?_ “But thank you.”

His partner nods, carefully looking over his face.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” she says, nodding slightly as she stands up from her chair.

“You shared your pain with me,” he reasons, opening his servo and offering it to her, “I decided it fitting that you know of a similar experience of mine. You know death does not affect me much these days, but it was not always this way.”

“Thank you,” Y/n says again and, as she sits down in his servo, he can see by her expression that she understands that the decision to share this did not come to him easily. Megatron nods.

 

 

When he awakes the next morning in his berth, he finds Y/n still resting on his chassis, looking at her phone screen, probably having not slept the night once again. The scolding gaze of his optics is met with a tired shrug, but also a warm smile and a wish of a good morning. And he can’t bring himself to be angry.

The funeral is…what funerals are. Those in mourning saying their goodbyes to the deceased, who can no longer hear them. Funerals are for those left behind, after all. Megatron keeps to the shadows or some ways away from the crowd and it serves to both make it more tolerable for him and – more importantly – allows Y/n to come up to him without anyone being too close nearby. He offers his condolences to Y/n’s family in person and comes over to the casket, since everyone is doing so. He looks at the face of Y/n’s grandfather and remembers him as he was when Megatron first met him. Then, he retreats once again to be in the back of the crowd of friends and family. He continues watching the young woman, dark red eyes following her as she walks among those present, offering a soothing word, a hand on the shoulder or an embrace. As the cemetery employees start lowering the casket, Y/n’s grandmother begins to sob and the young woman, already standing by her side, hugs her by the shoulders. Megatron stands close to Y/n during this time and, despite the circumstances, he admires her collected demeanor, the grief that had her shaking in his arms a couple of days before now replaced by a very noticeable recognition of her responsibilities. Not everyone who is deeply suffering will bawl their eyes out with the rest of the crowd, after all. Y/n looks at him from the corner of her eye and they share a look of understanding, Megatron nodding before both of them look back at the descending casket.

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

The next day, Y/n is not on the Nemesis or in the mansion. Her spending the whole day somewhere by herself is a return to normalcy, but the thought of checking on her scrapes at Megatron's processor as he sits on his throne and listens to Starscream go on and on about his ideas and accomplishments.

In the end, once he notices that she’s been gone for more than six hours, he decides to have Soundwave trace her phone's GPS to find her. A short while later, he emerges out of a small groundbridge on the territory of the loading dock in the port of Burgas, Bulgaria. Giant cranes stand on shore while large, long cargo ships are docked next to them. On the bow of one of the ship’s – one with its bottom part red, its upper part black and its main deck white - he sees Y/n, standing with her arms on the white railing and looking towards the sea that is dark blue against the bright blue sky.

He walks towards the metal ladder leading up to the main deck and one of the sailors standing up there calls out to him in English:

“Hey there? State your business!”

Megatron begins going up the ladder, paying the man no mind.

“Come on, man, what you want?” the human male tries again as he steps into the warlord’s path once the latter is standing on the deck. He could throw him off board and onto the concrete of the dock or break his neck in one swift movement, Megatron thinks as he looks down at the problematic little creature before him. But he has no time for ‘disturbing an anthill’ as Y/n would put it.

“I am with her,” he nods towards Y/n and the sailor looks in the young woman's direction, confused as his human eyes could see no one.

“With wh- Oh!”

 

_Thud._

 

The man falls to the floor, knocked out, and Megatron sweeps his body to the side, out of immediate view, with his foot before walking on the walkway straight to the bow, the metal grates that make up the walkway announcing his presence quite loudly. He comes up to his partner and stands beside her with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the wind play with her h/c strands and she looks back at him from the corner of her eye, chuckling softly.

“What did you do?”

“He will awake soon,” Megatron informs flatly and Y/n shakes her head slowly in amusement. He notices that, while her elbows are on the railing, her hands are holding something that looks like a…black rectangle made out of fabric? The young woman’s long fingers unfurl as she notices the direction of his gaze and now he can see the items clearly – he had seen those before when researching the human military, those are epaulettes. Black, with three simple yellow stripes and one yellow stripe with a curl facing towards the wearer’s neck.  Y/n sighs, a sad smile settling on her lips as she looks at the pieces of fabric that represented her grandfather’s status.

“Grandma wanted me to have them. She said it was because she couldn't stop thnking of how much I loved seeing graddad in uniform and how much I loved visiting him on the ships he worked on...This is one of those ships, actually. If you look behind yourself, there are cargo pipe lines along the walkway. I used to walk on them and try to keep my balance.”

 

Megatron looks back over his shoulder briefly, but does not speak, thinking that he may now understand the significance of the black-and-yellow pieces of cloth.

 

“I’ve never met a man like my grandfather – smart and honourable, strict but fun-loving. A commanding presence on the bridge, barking out orders at those who were slacking off and then a softy when his wife, daughter or granddaughter would look at him with puppy eyes. Having people who respected him in all corners of the world, being a master at chess, remembering to bring something delicious from oversea travels and teaching me where the Strait of Gibraltar is and how to find the North star…”

Y/n sighs and hangs her head, fingers closing over the epaulettes again.

“He was my role model, someone who managed to be both respectable and successful while keeping his principles and his caring heart. I always thought ‘they don’t make them like that anymore, _I_ could never be like that’.”

“Have you looked in the mirror recently?” Megatron inquires, his eyebrow raising slightly as she looks over his lover somewhat sternly. Far down, small waves hit the hull of the ship slowly as a sea breeze carries the smell of salt with it. Y/n smiles, shaking her head slightly.

“I may be on my way there - at least I hope so - but there’s a long way to go,” she looks down at the water below thoughtfully, before lifting her gaze and looking at the open sea, “Your friend woke up.”

 

“Hey! Stay right there!!”

 

He sees a glint of mischief in Y/n’s eye and he is glad to see it back. The young woman takes a few steps away from him and easily jumps onto the railing to watch events unfold from there.

“He’s just doing his job, don’t hurt the guy,” she asks and Megatron rolls his eyes, not even turning while the human male runs towards him. The moment he is within range, the warlord immediately grabs him by the shirt and effortlessly throws him overboard with one swift movement of his arm, the sailor's momentum only making the throw more impressive. Per Y/n’s request, Megatron throws him into the water and not onto the ground.

A loud splash is heard and Y/n looks down, waiting for the seaman to emerge from the water and smiling when he does.

“Now look what you did,” she chides with a mild smile, crossing her arms as Megatron watches with little interest as the sailor swims to shore, “There is going to be security personnel crawling all over this deck soon.”

“More importantly, will you join me for dinner in my hab suite?” the silver-haired man asks, completely unconcerned regarding the ‘security personnel’ mentioned as he looks at his lover in amusement.

“Of course,” Y/n actually chuckles and it is nice seeing her back to her old self at least temporarily, “I’ll be home right after I switch the security cameras from showing an empty deck on loop.”

“Ah,” Megatron smiles, impressed, “Very well. I will be waiting.”

 

 

By the time contracted sailor Arnold Knudsen returns on board - furious, angry and screaming for back up – the main deck is completely empty, not a trace of the mysterious tall ~~asshole~~ man left. He looks around, the other sailors who came to his aid look around as well – no one. The security cameras show nothing  - no man, not even Arnold being thrown off! Eventually, the other guys decide that he had just been clumsy and thought up a story to avoid ridicule. The third mate, who was _supposed_ to stand watch on the bridge (and probably fell asleep or went to the kitchen again), says that he saw nothing happen, only further solidifying Arnold’s version of events as fiction, making the seaman use a few chosen words in his colleagues' address before going to his cabin to change. It wouldn’t serve as any kind of proof to anyone, but at least he himself believes that he isn’t going insane when he finds a hundred euro bill on his bed. ‘Sorry :)’ is written on it with a pencil. Huh, for such a scary guy he sure has girly handwriting.

 

 

 

 

*******

 

 

 

_Y/n: Hey :)_

 

_Yes?_

_Y/n: You busy?_

_Not really, why?_

_Y/n: Want to spend the night in the mansion?_

_I can’t see why not. Are you there?_

_Y/n: Not yet, at grandma’s still. But will be there shortly._

_Understood._

 

 

 

When he walks into the foyer and sees Y/n close the door behind herself, he decides that enough is enough. While her proxy body is able to let her function with almost no sleep, even it has its limits. Not to mention the toll it has to have on the young woman’s mental state. He can see it in her tired eyes, in the effort she puts into carrying herself with the same posture that usually comes effortlessly to her.

 

“Y/n. You need sleep. Now,” he tells her - perhaps too bluntly or somewhat sternly, but it is a priority for him right now. Y/n walks over to him, into his arms and sighs tiredly.

“Yeah…I think I actually feel sleepy for a change,” she nods, not resisting as he picks her up and starts to carry her upstairs. Her hands lie across her abdomen and her head is resting against his chassis as his pedes hit the dark wooden stairs. The orange light of the setting sun is shining through the windows as they reach the intermediate landing and, as Megatron turns and starts walking toward the second flight of stairs, he hears Y/n murmur softly:

“You know...”

“Hm?” he hums quietly, looking down and seeing Y/n rest in his arms with her eyes closed. She is probably mostly asleep at this point, he thinks as he walks slowly, taking his time holding onto his lover and looking at her in the amber light of the sunset.

“..ou don’t need to…too..” she continues murmuring, barely above a whisper, and, while he is curious as to what Y/n is referring to, he is glad that it will not be long now that she completely falls into much needed deep recharge. Looking ahead of himself, he carries Y/n up and walks towards the bedroom.

 

“I love you, Megatron.”

 

He stops.

 

So does the pulsing of his spark. His digits flinch, sharp metal glinting in the sunset light as he looks down at the woman in his arms. He continues to look at her for a while, his optics wide, the sound of his spark now hammering away in its chamber seeming overwhelmingly loud. 

“Y/n?...” he calls out quietly, but receives no reply, Y/n’s chest rising and falling steadily as she breathes in deeply in her slumber. So he just stands there as he looks at her, hoping to Primus that the sudden increase of temperature in his frame and his madly beating spark would not be enough to reawaken her. They are not.

Slowly, he begins to walk again, his thoughtful, half-lidded optics on his…Yes, she was his beloved. It would not be the first time he called her that in his thoughts. Carefully, he places Y/n onto the bed, her only reaction being a deep sigh and her head turning to the side as it touches the pillow. The mech covers her with a blanket, then just stands there, looking at the young woman for a while. Will she even remember saying this to him when she awakes? She is wracked with grief, was that why she would say something like this now? Was it because of how he behaved during this difficult time for her? Or was it the realisation of everyone being mortal? Was it because he was leaving soon? Did it matter? Did it _really_ matter, considering they had expressed the feeling in all things but words?

 

Until now, that is.

 

As darkness falls, his optics glow in the shadows of the room as he watches the young woman sleep.

 

How did it get to this?

In a little more than a stellar cycle, no less? Madness.

And when would his damned spark calm down?

 

 

*******

 

 

The next day, Y/n awakes only shortly after noon and he watches her yawn and stretch under the bright rays of sun that shine through the windows. She looks at the blooming garden outside and then turns onto her side, away from the windows, and looks up at him with sleepy content.

 

“Good morning,” he greets, putting away the tablet which has the calculations and galaxy maps regarding his upcoming mission, “How are you feeling?”

“Morning,” his lover takes a breath that turns into a yawn and smiles, “Well-rested. Finally.”

“Finally,” he agrees, nodding and, despite recently waking up, Y/n notices a particular seriousness in his voice. Or maybe it’s his expression.

“Everything alright?” the young woman asks, e/c eyes looking over him with slight worry. The Decepticon lord just looks at her, crimson optics steady as he notes to himself every small detail of her face and the way her hair frames it, the way the neckline of her thin sweater had moved and left one of her shoulders bare, sunlight shining onto it. Y/n sits up and looks at him, still not too worried but clearly gradually getting there.

“Megatron?”

“I need you to make a decision.”

Y/n blinks once in confusion and, before she has the time to ask, he clarifies:

“When the time comes, I want you-“ he narrows his optics, “I _need_ you to leave Earth with me.”

He should have picked a better time, probably. He was planning to. But, somehow, he could not help himself – Y/n was right, he could be impulsive. The young woman looks at him in surprise that changes to understanding, then thoughtfulness. She lowers her gaze to her hands as her fingers intertwine on her lap before looking back at him once more, her lips parting slightly but, when she hesitates, he speaks again:

“I do not expect your final answer right now. But, when I return, I will need it.”

“Okay, Megatron, I will figure it out by then,” Y/n tells him with a nod and he nods as well, accepting her reply, his expression still as serious as it was before, “Are you…Is there anything else troubling you?”

 

_Say no._

 

Her hand gently takes his servo - warm, soft skin against his metal.

 

“Yes. I love you.”

 

He feels Y/n’s hand flinch and sees her eyes widen, her chest not moving as she holds her breath. So she _doesn’t_ remember. They look at each other for a moment that feels very long, red optics staring into e/c eyes, before he sees the young woman finally breathing again, in a form of an exhale that brings with it a happy, relieved smile.

“I love you too, Megatron,” she tells him, moving closer to him when the mech reaches out and gently puts his servo on the side of her neck, thumb digit swiping over her cheek. The Decepticon lord smiles sincerely, allowing the warm feeling that overtakes his spark reflect on his face, in his optics. _His._ This is his, he thinks as he pulls Y/n closer and covers her lips with his in a truly loving kiss that they both take their time to savour to their heart's and spark's content. 

 

Even if it all comes crashing down, he is determined to indulge in this as long as it lasts.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, you still alive over there? In case you're wondering how many words that was - 28.406 :'D
> 
> *deep breath* 
> 
> Sooo..Here’s a long author’s note, if you're a masochist.
> 
>  
> 
> \- In case anyone was wondering why there was no communication between the Nemesis and the Thanatos despite us seeing in the show that signals could be transmitted though impressive distances…well, do you also remember how often we’ve seen that either side was able to intercept and listen in on those communications? Better keep radio silence unless the Nemesis is literally exploding or something, just in case (And I wanted the two to have some time apart, obviouslyXD)  
> \- Also, I left most of the design of the master bedroom vague, because everyone has their own bedroom design preferences so I’ll leave it to your imagination.  
> \- While I was moving, I stumbled upon a house plan-designing website and played around with it. I always encourage everyone to imagine their own versions of places that are described in the story, but if you’re curious how the mansion’s layout approximately looks like in my head, it’s something like this:  
> First floor:  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/b2ff70986bc1eb40b88ce8dad042e9ea/tumblr_p7ai0eYaqB1v0s13uo1_1280.png  
> Second floor:  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/b694fc8ff946439ad9732a7c393b510f/tumblr_p7ai0eYaqB1v0s13uo2_1280.png  
> General aesthetic, I guess:  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/13e7035842ab4bcdfcce17b838983453/tumblr_p7ai0eYaqB1v0s13uo3_1280.jpg  
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/bf908d2d5dc8c293f1bf05482ad3e2a1/tumblr_p7ai0eYaqB1v0s13uo4_1280.jpg
> 
> \- I am very curious how you imagined the little performance Y/n did for Megatron. If you’re willing, please do share. As far as how I imagine it, it’s something like Viktor’s (from Yuri on Ice) movement style applied to a variety of different dancing styles.  
> \- You may have noticed that the more Megatron realises Y/n’s value in his life the more possessive he gets and the more determined he gets to keep her by his side. In his mind, he’d obviously rather Y/n come with him willingly and he is even willing to put in effort to make that happen, to spend his time to keep up the illusion of choice since he cares for her deeply, but – in the end – he will do ‘what he must’ if it comes to that. Whether he actually would take Y/n against her will or he’s just convinced of it right now remains to be seen, but currently he’s very sure that’s what he’ll do and there are _very_ few scenarios in which he would consider changing his mind. You can make up the excuse of ‘He has had so little of something so genuine and good like this in his life, so he wants to hold onto it’, but you can’t deny how manipulative the mech can and will be to reach his goals and how self-centred he is. He has had some improvements to his behaviour while in love - a kind of reawakening of some of his better traits, if you will - but he still has a looong way to go.  
> \- Either because of Y/n somehow finding out the whole truth in his absence or because of him planning to wage the war more actively(or both), things will be changing soon and Megatron knows there are only so many lazy mornings/evenings left. So he enjoys them while he can.  
> \- /Author's thoughts at 6 AM/ Did you say what you said because you wanted to say it or because it would make us think you did so we'd come with you to spaaace? Huh? Do you even know yourself, you manipulative aft?  
> \- I kept to Terminus's canon story mostly, only adding some personal touches here and there, since the IDW canon idea is amazing(and tragic) enough as is.  
> \- Yeah, I DID throw Impactor in there too! He was mentioned in TFP, after all, a whole 1 (!) time where they said he was dead. lol  
> \- Soundwave is a troll and I love him dearly.
> 
> Aaanyway. Next one is a smut chapter. No plot, all smut. A little fun respite before we jump some interesting things I'm fairly sure noone expects. We’ll return to the plot in Chapter 57, pinky promise. Thank you for being so patient with me and still reading this story <3


	56. Skin And Metal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look behind the scenes at some of Megatron's and Y/n's more intimate moments throughout the relationship.
> 
> No, really. This is a chapter with 1.5 years worth of smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING ELSE - We got UYA art and It's So Cool <3  
> https://quietsilenceus.tumblr.com/post/173458280309/under-your-armor-by-duchess-wintermore-this  
> Thank you to the extremely talented and very sweet QuietSilenceus, it means so much! <3
> 
>  
> 
> E-khem.
> 
> So I wanted to post this two weeks ago...I Really should stop telling people when I plan to post things, I swear my university professors read the damn comments and decide to give me some extra assignments exactly when I’m feeling good about my upload schedule…-_-‘  
> A-ny-way. Eleven cans of RedBull and two big uni assignments later, I’m back! Sorry for it taking a bit longer though! I threw in some extra smut scenes while editing this and made the next chapter a bit longer as well to compensate! You know, for balance (Totally an Infinity War reference. Which I saw. I am not okay.).
> 
>  
> 
> Friendly warning: I can’t write smut good Q.Q 
> 
> Second warning: This chapter has what usual Transformer smut has – all the naughty cybertronian parts and terminology, fluids, oral sex, abundance of sex noises, self-servicing, size kinks, a bit of roleplay and all those good things. ‘Cause it’s Megatron and he is very… **very** fraggable.  
>  (HD scan from the official 'Art of Prime' artbook because, y’know, reference: https://78.media.tumblr.com/4792f3e38f5add8bdf4d7baac1d0bc3d/tumblr_myc6j9brJ61r6tu7xo3_1280.png )
> 
> Also, I feel I should explain the mindset that I’m posting this chapter with, considering that there’s only like two other places where there’s explicit smut in the rest of the story (so far, at least).
> 
> For some people, physical intimacy isn’t too important/not important at all in a relationship or they don’t really like reading smut – that’s completely understandable and I promise you that you won’t miss anything plot-wise. It’s basically just what’s been happening behind the scenes, Y/n and Megatron bonding before/during/after interface :)  
> Now, that said, while it doesn’t affect the plot - much like with my filler fluff chapters that also don’t affect it much - I would go against how I see the story if I didn’t post this. If you’re a person who sees physical intimacy and compatibility as important in a relationship, this chapter is basically it – an exploration of our main couple’s relationship and its development through the prism of smutty smut-smut. (I tried to keep it serious. I failed.)
> 
> Anyway, whether you decide to skip this one or read it, I hope you’re enjoying the story so far! And thanks for still sticking around even though it’s 55+ chapters long already! Megatron loves you lots for it >;)
> 
> (P.S. I’m counting up from Y/n's first day on the Nemesis, so the year begins and ends in mid-September.)

 

 

_Year 1, Late December_

 

 

Megatron looked like the kind of mech who liked to stay in control, to stay dominant, _always._ Including in bed.

In a way, that was very much true – the Decepticon lord certainly knew what he wanted and had no problems taking initiative into his own servos completely. But what came as a pleasant surprise was that dominance in a physical sense was not something the warlord demanded constantly, instead being very much open to let Y/n take matters into her own hands if it meant their mutual pleasure. And, especially, Megatron’s ability to sit back and enjoy the show.

 

“Hrmm?” the steel coloured mech hums, intrigued, when Y/n uses some of her proxy strength to flip them over and climb onto his frame, her own body already covered just by her lingerie. The young woman throws him a playful, flirtatious look through the darkness of her bedroom and places both her hands on his chassis, leaning down and kissing the mech once again. When they part, the warlord gives her a lustful, expecting and interested look that spells out ‘Proceed’, making her smirk and lean down again – but, this time, to kiss his neck.

 

They just recently became intimate and it was so hard not to just melt every time Megatron’s powerful, hot frame was over her body, when he set the rhythm to their interface and made her feel _so good..._ But there are other things Y/n wants to do as well, things she wants to do to Megatron instead of following his lead - however great that felt. This is still so new to her, she thinks, no matter how much she drags her hands over the warm metal she can feel tingling under her skin, her whole body excited as she explores her lover’s frame.

 

Tonight she starts off with a light chain of kisses down the side of the mech’s neck. The young woman closes her eyes – she doesn’t need sight now, instead focusing on her other senses, listening to Megatron’s vents and whatever small noises he makes, feeling the smallest movement’s his frame makes, trying to catch every reaction to find out what her lover likes. She’s methodical, but also very, _very_ in love, so every reaction – every breath, every approving hum – feels like her body is set on fire all over again, making her feel lightheaded and needy. But there will be time for _that_ later. Her kisses now much more passionate, the young woman parts her lips and touches the tip of her tongue to the warlord’s metal neck, noticing the very brief moment when the mech stills before giving a deep, rumbling chuckle that... _oh it does things to her._ Y/n chuckles into the lord’s neck quietly as well, her soft breaths hitting the damp metal before she places a few sweet kisses to it and continues down. It’s wonderful, feeling the mech so fully, listening to his frame so closely as she caresses it and presses her lips to the metal, taking special care to drag her hand over the armor above Megatron’s spark and then kiss it. The warlord is smart - he knows what the gesture means. Sure enough, that earnes her a deep sigh and a servo in her hair, playing with her h/c strands and making Y/n smile against the warm metal. Megatron has no coats of paint like most others; instead, millions of long and short micro scratches cover the polished grey metal – traces of the countless battles the mech went through, traces that form an intricate pattern of sorts that can be seen more or less depending on how the light shines onto the warlord’s frame.

She runs her hands down the mech’s chassis, up the sides of it and then down again, enjoying the sensation of smooth metal under her palms. Her lips cover the central armor plates of Megatron’s abdominal plating with kisses both gentle and not so much while her fingers begin lightly tracing each individual grate of his abdominal vents at a time. Y/n smiles, pleased, when she hears a sigh that turns into an approving half-groan and the vents under her hands start pushing warm air into her palms. Oh, Y/n already knows what that means – it means the lord is very much enjoying himself, to the point of his frame having to cool down. Cybertronian physiology, so fascinating. And arousing. She needs to experience _more._ Carefully, she hooks her fingers between the grates – just about one phalanx deep – and pulls gently while dragging her tongue up the central abdominal plates, their metal getting warmer under her by the moment as a quiet lustful growl is heard from above. She decided that she absolutely loves that Megatron is vocal in bed – it both allowed her to figure out what he liked quicker and made her heart(as well as other parts of her) pulse in excitement. Y/n inhales slowly and blows a steady cool stream of air onto the warm metal, doing it like she would with a human, but with slightly increased intensity. Holomatter or not, living or not – this was still metal, she thinks. Megatron doesn’t make a sound, but she feels the metal plates squeeze tighter together as the mech’s abdomen tenses. For good measure, she blows onto it again, this time more softly.

 

“You do enjoy teasing,” the alien lord smirks, his deep, slightly hoarse voice steady. It would take more than this to bring someone like him out of balance. And Y/n would gladly do whatever it takes since she already knows how delightful the mech’s lustful moans sound.

“I enjoy getting to know your frame as much as I can,” she says quietly, her voice heavy with adoration, her hands dragging over his pelvic armor plating as she smirks as well, “And teasing as well.”

 

The young woman lifts her hands slightly as she switches to her fingers, dragging them over the edges of the pelvic side plates and moving inward, towards the central plate, not leaving a single transformation seam unattended to. Her lover’s servo is still in her hair and she’s thankful for that – not only does she like the feeling, she also gets to gauge how successful her actions are by the smallest movement(or non-movement) of digits. ‘Aren’t you magnificent,’ she wants to tell the mech as she feels his powerful frame tense and hot air spill out of his vents when she starts kissing his pelvic plating, her hands rubbing over it as well. Surely, he has heard that enough times over the millennia. ‘Magnificent’ is a word often used to describe Megatron, yet in her head it means so much more…maybe she better show than tell. Her hands slide even lower, down from the pelvic plating, hovering over the purple lower layer and pressing to the steel-coloured upper armor over the mech’s thighs. Slowly, enjoying all of this immensely, Y/n moves her own body down, comfortably getting onto her knees and elbows between Megatron’s legs, not once entirely stopping to caress him in some way. And, as she moves, her thighs rub against each other making her realise how wet and excited just exploring and pleasing the Decepticon lord is making her. Smiling to herself and taking a deep breath, then focusing back on Megatron’s frame, the young woman slowly runs her hands over the grey armor of the mech’s inner thighs, following that up with kisses to the rarely-touched metal. Megatron gives a long, pleased half-sigh and half-groan, the servo in her hair gripping tighter. _Good…_

Gently, Y/n touches the lower, purple layer of armor that covers the area between the mech’s pelvic and thigh armor. There is so much here – transformation seams, lines of usually dim but currently bright violet biolights, generally more sensitive metal…It’s exciting and arousing and, above all else, it fills her with so much glee to just be able to finally touch Megatron like this, to hear his breathing become deeper, more laboured from lust, from what she’s doing to him. It feels incredible and Y/n doesn’t know if it’s possible to feel more in love than this, but somehow it feels like it is - like the more she touches him the deeper in love she falls. Lovingly, she places her lips to the purple metal of the lord’s inner thigh and sucks, humming quietly. She can feel Megatron restrain himself from gripping her hair too tightly as his large servo flinches, and a moment later hears the sound of his pelvic plating transform back, revealing his interface array. That she cannot miss, the young woman thinks as she slowly opens her eyes, holding her breath as the panel snaps open and her lover’s spike immediately appears from it, already fully pressurised. Feeling proud of herself for making Megatron this aroused by now and also marvelling at the fact that _all that_ managed to somehow fit inside her, Y/n can’t help but make a sound almost akin to quiet purring as she looks over her lover’s most intimate part. One of them, at least.

 

The spike in front of her is very much proportionate to Megatron’s holoform – as in, large. Thick and long, the grey spike’s diameter increases towards the base while itself and the protoform it’s attached to are covered in red biolights. Right, his original secondary color was red, after all…The biolights stretch over the throbbing metal and a row of small red nodes on the underside of the shaft led from the base and all the way to the elongated, pointy head of the spike. Everything inside of Y/n trembles with anticipation the more she looks at what’s in front of her, the more she feels the heat radiate from it.

 

She glances up to see Megatron’s crimson optics glowing brightly in the darkness, his lips very slightly parted and tips of sharp dentas showing as he watches her every move. Gorgeous, incredible, simply nothing compares to this, to Megatron, to whatever they’re falling deeper and deeper into… The young woman looks over her lover’s face, her chest feeling heavy with how intensely in love she is, how much she adores this mech and his frame, how happy she is to be able to touch him. The servo in her hair moves to her cheek as the cybertronian looks her over, the gaze of his optics making Y/n’s throat feel dry. Turning her head, Y/n presses her lips to the palm of the steel-coloured servo and then throws Megatron one last adoring look before returning her attention to his interface equipment.

Moving her hands over the metal of her lover’s thighs and gradually touching higher, Y/n finally reaches the places previously obscured by his pelvic plating. The young woman spreads her fingers over the new metal and rubs it slowly, relishing learning the feel of it as she gets closer and closer to the base of the spike. The protoform under her skin is very warm and much softer than all the upper layers of armor, only Megatron’s face and the exposed parts of his neck having a similar texture. Carefully, Y/n places one hand near the base of the spike, caressing the metal there while her other hand finally takes hold of the hard, pulsing metal shaft. Both Megatron and Y/n exhale loudly, her nether lips pulsing in a very noticeable response as arousal washes over the young woman in a powerful enough wave to make her hands tremble momentarily. The mech closes his optics as lets her do as she wants and the woman smiles, looking up and down his hardness with intense arousal. The warm metal throbs under her skin and her fingers are not enough to fully close around the base of the spike, and, as she slowly moves her hand up, that changes only close the head of it. Megatron groans as Y/n closes her hand around the tip, makes a small massaging motion and then lowers her hand back down more confidently, enjoying the feeling of biolights on the metal and the small fuel lines pulsing under it. The woman makes a few slow strokes, looking over both the spike and the mech’s face, both incredibly erotic to her. Her lover grits his dentas as she grips him more tightly, slowly swipes her thumb over the row of red nodes and then starts moving her hand faster. She wasn’t interested in asking for details, but she knows that it has been a _long_ time since Megatron allowed anyone to touch him like this, so she’s glad to give him the pleasure he so deserves. All of the pleasure she’s able to give him, really.

 

With that thought, Y/n focuses fully on the spike. She feels how strongly it throbs, how very warm it is and she remembers how it felt inside her. The walls of her pussy immediately clench around nothing, making her exhale slowly, her hot breath landing on the sensitive metal. Megatron opens his optics slightly with a husky exhale, just in time to see her lean closer, part her lips and give the whole length of his shaft a good slow lick, tongue pressing into the metal.

“Mrnh….Y/n,” the mech growls, his voice sending shivers up her spine and making her feel drunk on lust. She’s busy, though. Closing her eyes, the young woman places a kiss to the underside of the spike’s head, right over the top node, and then licks down the row of small red nodes while her hand is still pressed to the other side of the spike, massaging lightly. She proceeds to then lick, kiss and lightly suck on the sides of the shaft, getting all kinds of delicious noises from the former gladiator as a reward. And when Y/n feels something wet and almost gel-like on her tongue and realises that it’s pre-fluid, she immediately gives the spike’s head another slow, greedy lick. She doesn’t look at Megatron’s face, but she hears his heavy ex-vents, feels the heat of his frame, the throbbing of metal under her lips and hands - and all of it is incredible. When the spike is wet enough, glistening with moisture from both her saliva and Megatron’s pre-fluid, Y/n takes it into her hand and starts stroking again. Slowly, the woman lowers her head to what first seems like the base of the spike but then dips lower, tongue dragging over the lower, closed secondary interface panel. She’ll find the time to fully give her attention to what’s under there later, but, for now, she just wants the mech to know that _she knows_ what’s under there and she wants it no less than the rest of him, should he choose to open that panel for her.

 

Lifting her head, she looks up into those scorching red optics and carefully climbs up the large frame to be closer to them. She’s still keeping her hand on the mech’s spike, though, while one of her knees is now on the lord’s thigh and the other is firmly planted onto the bed next to his side. The young woman puts her hand onto the bed next to her lover’s elbow joint and leans forward as much as comfortably possible, looking over his face with lustful adoration.

“Put your servo on mine. Show me how you like it,” Y/n asks in what’s almost a whisper as she looks into his optics and then lowers her head, pressing a few kisses to the steel-coloured chassis.

“You are doing _, ngh…_ exceptionally well on your own,” the alien lord’s voice rumbles and that, along with a large servo covering her hand, makes her smile, lean up and give the base of his neck an approving kiss. His servo guides her – slowly at first, then faster, teaching her motions and the pressure the mech prefers, everything about it making Y/n tremble and breathe deep in extreme arousal, her exhales becoming moans as she hears her lover groan in pleasure. His servo soon leaves Y/n’s hand and she continues on her own, feeling so tied to the reactions of his frame by now that each stroke that causes him pleasure echoes as her own. It’s because of this, of being so into listening to the lord’s frame, that she doesn’t notice him move his other servo.

“ _A-Ah!_ Mmm…” Y/n’s whole body shudders and she almost isn’t able to keep her balance, gasping and very nearly orgasming when Megatron cups her between the legs carefully, the inner side of his middle digit brushing directly over her wet silk-covered nether lips.

“Ah…” the warlord breathes out as well, his voice pure want as he realizes to what state touching him has gotten her. The woman looks up only to be met with demanding, lust-filled optics moments before the mech pulls her even closer to himself and covers her lips with his own in a kiss so hungry it steals her breath away. She feels the back of her bra being ripped and eagerly throws it off, leaning into her lover’s chassis again, breathily moaning as the sensitive skin of her breasts presses against the warm metal. Megatron claims her lips again and Y/n gasps and whimpers softly into the kiss as he rubs her folds over the fabric of her panties. She’s been pulled too far away from his spike to retaliate and, with Megatron touching her sensitive, long-neglected sex, she isn’t sure she could be able to anyway. Sharp digits hook under the side of her remaining piece of clothing and, in one swift move, the ruined lace-and-silk piece of lingerie falls to the bed, already forgotten.

 

Y/n doesn’t need any prompting as she swings her leg over the mech’s abdomen and positions her dripping wet slit over the pointy, glistening tip of his spike. When she glances down the view is surreal, but that doesn’t compare to the feeling when Megatron puts his servos on her hips and Y/n lowers herself, the head of the spike easily entering between her well-lubricated folds. More, more, moremore _more_ is all she can think about and her lover seems to be of the same mindset as both of them start moving, moans and sounds of heavy breathing/venting filling the room. The spike is large and thick and spreads her walls quite a bit. Her back arches and she throws her head back as Megatron is thankfully steadying her by holding her tightly. Oh this is a _much_ easier position to get adjusted to the mech’s size, they should do this more these days, Y/n has a momentary flash of though before it’s gone, replaced with white-hot pleasure that spreads from her lower abdomen and makes her whole body tense and her breathing hitch every time she lowers herself onto the spike while the mech snaps his hips upward.

This doesn’t last long – not with how wound up they both were, not with how new their relationships still is, each touch exciting and almost electric, bearing with it a sense of something forbidden being obtained.

Y/n’s breathing gets faster and shallower, moans replaced by quiet, helpless sounds of her approaching her climax. She grips onto the mech’s vent grates as she hangs her head low, warm air pushing into her palms as his name escapes her lips. She then inhales sharply and cums, her orgasm made even more intense by feeling the servos on her hips gripping her so tightly it vaguely hurts while Megatron grits his dentas with a groan and overloads as well, hot transfluid spilling into her in several powerful spurts. Y/n stays still for a moment, breathing deeply, her body shivering as waves of pleasure wash over her and the clenching walls of her sex make her feel every inch of Megatron’s spike buried deep inside of her, throbbing and absolutely perfect. She’d like to stay like this, the young woman thinks as she lowers herself onto the warm metal of the lord’s chassis, closing her eyes and slowly getting her breathing under control. A pleasantly heavy servo is placed onto the small of her back while another now rests between her shoulder blades. Sighing contently, Y/n smiles and kisses the metal under her cheek while she listens to Megatron’s sparkbeat gradually getting slower and steadier. What a wonderful sound.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

_Year 1, Early January_

 

 

“Indeed,” Megatron replies to his lover thoughtfully as he rests next to her, his servos on his abdominal plating and his optics closed, both of them enjoying the afterglow of a highly satisfying round of lovemaking “Though I doubt many would suspect that about you.”

 

Both of them smirk.

 

“Well my close friends know I have _quite_ the dirty mind,” Y/n says, putting her right leg over her bent left one and freeing one of her hands from under her head to cover her mouth as she yawns, “But really, who has to know aside from me and you?”

“No one,” the Decepticon lord replies immediately, “That is for me alone to know.”

Y/n chuckles quietly, not exactly planning to announce to the world how high her level of libido is when Megatron is concerned in the first place. But she’s amused by the mech’s small burst of possessiveness. Then again, this is Megatron – she knew as much already.

“Then again…” her lover muses, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, “I have suspected as much about you. You are quite the passionate creature.”

“ _You’re_ quite the passionate creature, I’m just boring ol’ ‘cold fish Y/n’,” the young woman states with joking conviction.

“…Humans have very strange expressions. You are neither cold nor a fish,” the lord notes and the proxy chuckles, rolling over and pressing her body to the lord’s side, feeling the weight of his servo on the curve of her waist immediately after.

 

 

*******

 

_Year 1, Mid-January_

 

“Hmm well we could hold onto our pride… _or_ we could leave it out of the bedroom,” Y/n replies to him with a smile while she sits in her armchair on his desk, her e/c eyes looking over him carefully as he sits in his own chair. During one of their ‘highgrade evenings’ they found themselves discussing what they would consider ‘too much’ during interface – be it too much openness, too much submissiveness, too much _anything_   - and his lover makes a very convincing point. Pride was something he would not let go under any circumstances…unless it was in berth, unless it was in berth with Y/n. Nothing one does during consensual interface should have any impact on how much they are to be respected and, for all of his distrust of…anything living, really, he knows Y/n lives by the same principle. So, if it gets him farther in getting to know his lover and enjoying her fully, he is willing to make this exception for her.

In his case it is not so much a physical thing, really – while he did not consider himself some sort of interface genius or an avid enthusiast of unconventional poses or means of pleasure, he has done a variety of things over his long, _long_ life to gain pleasure from the frame of another. In his case it was more of a mental thing – of letting Y/n know him beyond a level he is used to, of letting himself react to her touches and actions sincerely and without reservation, of letting himself touch her and look at her in a way that lets her know how much exactly he is infatuated with her. It is not an easy thing to do, it goes against how he usually acts, but if they both keep to their pride it won’t bring them anywhere nearly as fulfilling as opposed to if they ‘leave pride at the bedroom door’ as Y/n put it. It goes for either one or none of them, of course, there is no third option – he knows so from how Y/n worded her sentences, he knows so from knowing Y/n herself. He isn’t the only one who’s prideful, after all.

 

Megatron nods, looking over the human on his desk, thinking of how intensely the similarities between them are felt when they are in each other’s heated embrace. It is in their natures – he will not be satisfied by anything else, not in Y/n’s case, he wants it all. Processor and frame - every nerve ending her body has and every lustful desire her mind holds, every sweet noise she makes and every caress she gives him, every time she’d submit to him and every time she’d pin him down. Everything. He wants _all of it._

 

“Tell me,” he asks slowly, looking at Y/n’s thoughtful face as the young woman holds a glass of wine to her lips and looks over his frame, “How do you feel about letting me have all of you? Both mind and body, no desire hidden, no moan restrained?”

The thin glass is brought farther away from those sweet lips he would so gladly kiss right about now, and the gaze of e/c eyes is lifted from his chassis to his optics. As she replies, his lover’s voice is smooth and steady but holds certain undertones in it that make his frame heat up, and the highgrade that he takes a sip of feels ice cold against his hot intake:

“I’d love to let you have all of me. If only I get to have all of you for myself as well. Pride…that’s just who we are, really, we are bound to let it sometimes take over. Here, though…I don’t want just interface - I want _you_. To remember every curve of metal, know every little thing that brings your frame pleasure, hear you, feel you… _Everything.”_

Megatron’s cooling fans are so very close to activating at Y/n’s words – so similar to his own thoughts, so thrilling to hear as she looks him in the optics, so serious yet so seductive as well.

“Take everything, give everything…” the warlord says slowly, his voice somewhat deeper than normal, heavy with desire that his lover makes him feel as she tells him she wants him as completely as he wants her, _“...I couldn’t agree more.”_

The young woman gives him a charming smile and raises her glass, the mech smirking and touching it carefully with his cube, sealing the deal.

 

Every rule has an exception. Y/n is his.

 

Pride has no place in their bedroom.

 

 

*******

 

_Year 1, Late January_

 

 

“Aah, Megatron!” the young woman closes her eyes and throws her head back, the roots of her hair damp with sweat and her lips parted to let her breathe quickly, all kinds of pleasured noises escaping her. The mech is holding her hands above her head with one servo while holding her by the hip with the other, his spike thrusting into her in a merciless rhythm.

The damn mech was very determined to not let her do anything this time, so – after climaxing twice from oral sex alone – Y/n is now mewling and gasping in want and ecstasy as she finally got Megatron inside of her, his spike entering her while her walls were still lightly spasming from the last orgasm, her sex overflowing with her juices. There was nothing she could do but open her legs wider and try not to go insane with pleasure, with feeling so completely full of Megatron, with feeling his optics shine on her in the darkness of the bedroom. She then feels his frame move, her lower body being lifted higher as the mech’s hot breath reaches the skin of her neck. The love bites from before have long since healed and disappeared and, when Megatron buries his spike deep inside her, presses his scarred lips to her sensitive skin and sucks, making a new mark, Y/n breathes out and moans shakily. An approving rumble comes from above her when she offers more of her neck to the mech and when she feels a playful nibble of dentas, she smiles a blissful smile despite feeling like crying because she just wants the warlord to move again, she’s so, _so_ close…

 

“You’re close, aren’t you?” Megatron chuckles deeply into her ear and she can feel the restraint behind all the smoothness and smugness. _The aft._ Opening her eyes, the first thing she sees is the mass of grey metal in the darkness – his shoulder armor.

“Yes…” she says softly, turning her head to brush her cheek against the side of the mech’s helm. The lips pressed to her neck smile and Megatron leans back, looking into her eyes deeply.

“Tell me what you want,” he demands teasingly despite how wildly the spike inside of her is pulsing right now. The damn lord has _some_ willpower. Y/n can keep up with that in bed…she hopes.

“Really?” she grins as the mech raises an optic ridge with a smirk and nods, “Fine, then. Release my hands.”

Crimson optics narrow and now it’s her turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Release. My. Hands,” she repeats steadily, enjoying her lover’s suspicious expression once she starts feeling the weight on her hands lift, “ _Good._ Now hold me with both your servos…”

Her arms go around Megatron’s neck, her forehead pressing to his as she stares into his optics.

“…And frag me hard.”

She sees sharp dentas in the darkness as the mech smiles hungrily. The next moment his other servo is on her hip and his spike is withdrawn from her only to be slammed back in one powerful thrust that makes her bite her lip and hold on tighter.

 

_“As you wish...”_

*******

 

_Year 1, February_

 

‘How does one…even? Hmmm…’

 

Y/n sits on her bed with her legs crossed, her expression curious but also confused as she holds a red alien-like dildo in both her hands. It’s long, it’s medical grade silicone and it’s what online shopping was invented for. (And, if Soundwave was tracking her search history, his psychological traumas were his own fault.) ‘Space Demon’ is the name the shop gave it and out of everything she could find, this was the one that resembled Megatron’s spike the most.

The young woman gets used to its weight and how it feels in her hands. She needed this for practice. And so that’s what she’s thinking about currently - how does she even begin trying to master swallowing something this massive? Forget swallowing, getting it halfway down, for starters? It’s not that Y/n was unsure of how to give blowjobs, it’s just that Megatron’s size made swallowing his spike a challenge. Sure, she could continue compensating with her hands once she couldn’t swallow anymore…but why not take on the challenge for now? Considering how much she absolutely loved finding new ways of making the Decepticon lord let her hear all those heavy breaths, groans and growls of his… _Ohh, those sounds…_ Yeah, it was worth a try.

 

Still. Giant alien dildo in her hands. ‘Space Demon’.

She chuckles, the whole situation quite funny to her, but then parts her lips and decides to give the silicone an experimental lick.

Her phone vibrates, making Y/n’s whole body jump and she nearly slaps herself in the face with the kinky sex toy. Oookay. No need to be this jumpy. Calm down. The young woman picks up her phone and checks what’s up.

 

_M: The scouting mission will be postponed until tomorrow. Weather conditions._

_I will be at your place shortly._

If there would have been an Olympic category for throwing dildos into bags and throwing those bags under beds, Y/n would have earned a medal for sure.

 

‘Oh great, now there’s a ‘space demon’ lurking under my bed. And an alien robot _on_ it. What the hell is my life, even?..’

*******

_Year 1, March_

 

Arthur had recently asked for a favour. That favour was Y/n accompanying him to his father’s company today to help her childhood friend get through the stress of his first important meeting by acting as his assistant. She has dressed accordingly - a knee-long high-waisted pencil skirt, closed toe pump heels, an elegant white dress shirt with a thin chiffon bow tied on the level between her collarbones, a nice little wristwatch with thin leather strap, subtle diamond earrings. And, after the favour was completed, Y/n decided that she actually quite liked the look.

 

Or maybe she liked how she was being pushed onto the desk that stood in her bedroom.

 

The strict-looking gentleman that just accompanied her through the streets of the evening city is now covering her lips with his while bringing his leg between hers and lifting it, pushing her skirt up while Y/n holds onto the holomatter fabric of his dress shirt, his coat already long gone. Well, if this isn’t an office fantasy gone real, she doesn’t know what is.

 

Megatron lifts her up effortlessly and plants her onto the desk, the young woman dragging him closer to herself by his collar as they give each other a brief, but telling look before locking lips again. One of the man’s large hands travels up her side and touches her left breast, the feeling of him fondling her making her head spin despite them both still being fully clothed. She feels his other hand move up her leg - long, calloused fingers sliding under the black fabric of her skirt and dragging it up as her lover hovers above her, his breath touching the skin of her neck the moment she throws back her head. He kisses her neck roughly and sucks at the skin strongly, making her gasp, her hands gripping his shirt tighter while one of her legs is thrown around the man’s hip, making him groan softly in approval when they press against each other’s still covered intimate parts. Her underwear feels too tight as it rubs over her pulsing, moistening nether lips and oh how she wishes she could just make her clothes disappear like Megatron.

Y/n’s hands slide up to caress her lover’s neck and after that she buries her fingers in his silver hair while he breathes out heavily into the nook of her neck, his hand leaving her chest to grasp the table for purchase. His other hand slips into her panties, making Y/n immediately gasp when his fingers brush over her damp folds. She hears a deep, approving chuckle coming from the mountain of a man above her and he moves his hand some more, rubbing her in a way that makes her bite her lip. Slowly, one of his fingers enters her and she has to revert to holding onto ‘her boss’s’ shirt as her hips twitch and her breath hitches. After a few slow thrusts, a second finger joins the first, making the young woman moan softly, press her chest into the man’s and move her hips in the direction of his hand. Her reaction is enough to make Megatron groan and lean down, kissing her hard, his tongue hot against hers. Y/n catches his lower lip with her teeth and tugs gently, making the fingers inside of her move faster as the man growls quietly and claims her lips again. His fingers leave her and the sides of her panties press into the skin of her hips for a moment before the sound of ripping lace reaches her ears and her underwear is finally gone. Then, something much more than fingers pushes inside of her, both her and Megatron breaking into a breathy moan. 

 

That evening he takes her both on the desk and on the bed, the second time already looking as she’s used to seeing him at home – as the mech that arouses her like no one else can. After their lust has been sated (at least for the observable future) and Megatron’s sharp digits are gently scratching up and down her back while she rests on her side next to him, Y/n muses jokingly:

“Judging by tonight, maybe I should start helping out at the office more often…”

“Ah, but you are _my_ assistant already, remember?” the mech smirks, “Besides, why waste time down there when you are needed here?”

“Sure, _boss,_ ” Y/n’s lips spread in a flirtatious smile as she looks up at the warlord, “Why would I ever want to change jobs when my current one offers such… _benefits.”_

A relaxed, highly satisfied smirk appears on Megatron's face.

 

 

*******

_Year 1, April_

 

 

“Hm…” Y/n hums to herself quietly, thoughtful as she decides between a group of similar photos on her phone.

No, the lighting is bad in this one - delete. Pose is weird in this one - delete. She looks like she’s drunk in this - delete. This one is more or less okay - keep it for now. Makeup looks weird here - delete. She looks like she’s trying too hard in this one - definitely delete. This one is smudged because she dropped the phone onto her face. Ooh, this one’s nice, keep this one! This one is where her eyes betray that it’s Take 27….

In the end, the one she likes the most is the one she took near the beginning of this improvised photoshoot. She compares it with a few others, but she stays by this one – it’s more playful than simply seductive. Satisfied, she now wonders if she should write something on the photo, send a message to accompany it or leave it without comment. Her heart is hammering away in her chest and, despite asking Soundwave if everything is calm on the command bridge just twenty minutes ago between takes, she has the urge to ask again, just to be sure. It’s a silly little thing, really, she just doesn’t want it to reach Megatron if he happens to be too busy. A groan of exasperation as loud as the Nemesis’s engines is made by her somewhere in her mind while in reality Y/n just takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

 

It’s just a photo, just don’t make a big deal of it. It’s just a bit of teasing fun.

 

The young woman paces the room, catching her reflection in the mirror. Yes, leggings and a fancy bra – phenomenal fashion style, she smirks. Looking back to her phone, she thinks that this really is the best photo out of those she took – her hair is spread under her and the strands that aren’t are framing her face just right as she smiles and winks at the camera. Her breasts are nicely held up by a pretty bra and the necklace from the jewellery set Megatron gave her for Christmas sparkles around her neck.

Y/n takes a deep breath and opens the messenger app. Oh gods, how funny it’d be if she accidentally sent this into the group chat with the Vehicons…Better pay extra attention to where’s she’s tapping on that phone.

 

 

_Miss you ;)_

_-Image Sent-_

 

 

Proud of herself, Y/n locks her phone and throws it onto the bed, deciding she won’t make a big deal out of waiting for when Megatron sees it and responds to it. The young woman walks up to her wardrobe, takes off her leggings and wonders what she should put on…What should she…

 

She dives onto the bed and grabs her phone. She’s weak when things concern _him._

 

Y/n peaks into their chat window and, upon learning that the messages had been seen, feels her heart starting to beat fast again. She waits for him to respond, but he doesn’t. She’s not too surprised - no doubt he’ll comment on it when he visits instead of flirting over the app. The young woman then starts looking through other things on her phone, minutes passing as she reads through tweets, watches a video, checks for updates on things and people she’s following...Until she gets the feeling of being watched. Turning around and looking back, she’s met with the sight of Megatron standing at the bed, looking down at her with those intense red optics of his.

 

_Oh._

“Now...Show me how much you missed me, exactly,” the mech says, the corners of his lips lifting as he smirks, looking incredibly pleased while putting a knee onto the bed and crawling over her slowly.  

 

_Oh **yes.**_

*******

 

_Year 1, May_

 

It is dark in the room, only the light from the TV screen casting a light onto them as Megatron sits on the couch in Y/n’s cabin, watching some human movie with his lover. Y/n’s head is on his lap where it ended up after the young woman disappointedly stated that 'the first one was waaay better’ but they 'have to watch this part to understand the next'. Megatron doesn’t really care about the film and starts caring even less about it when he sees that his human is up to something. Her leg moves and the ball of her foot presses against the side of the coffee table as Y/n slowly moves it somewhat away from the couch. He makes a short, questioning humming sound and his lover raises her hand, patting him on the chassis gently.

 

“Oh nothing, you enjoy the movie.”

 

Doubtful, since he wasn’t exactly captivated by it in the first place, he thinks as he watches the woman roll off the couch and kneel between his legs. She presses a kiss to the side of his knee joint and to the armor of his inner thigh and then looks up at him playfully, her delicate hand placed over the centre of his pelvic armor. Megatron smirks, very much liking where this is going. The armor plates over his interface array slide back and the mech opens his primary panel. A husky, approving hum leaves him as his partially pressurised spike is immediately taken into Y/n’s soft, warm and welcoming mouth. Her tongue presses against the underside of his shaft, against the nodes there, and the former gladiator sighs, optics half-lidded in pleasure as he places his servo on his lover’s head simply to be able to praise her wordlessly. Also, because he really, _really_ needs to touch her at least somehow right now.

“Hmm…” the woman hums, her throat and mouth vibrating slightly, his spike reacting to it with an excited twitch. She licks and sucks his quickly growing and hardening shaft, eyes closed and the occasional quiet noise of enjoyment leaving her, and the mech thinks he could watch her forever. She makes him feel so good that he zones out and loses track of time completely, but then suddenly groans and has to remember not to hurt her when grips her hair tighter after Y/n sucks on him strongly, hollowing out her cheeks as she does.

“Nnrrgh…” Megatron closes his optics, the torturous, intense pleasure making the digits of his other servo dig into the sofa and his lips stay slightly parted. His lover slowly leans back, her lips pressed tightly against his throbbing metal. He opens his optics halfway once her lips slip off the tip of his spike and sees the woman look up at him, her tongue licking off excess moisture from her lips as she smiles in a way that makes him want to just push her onto the floor and frag her senseless.

“Do me a favour?” the young woman suddenly asks sweetly, e/c eyes lovingly looking over his face.

“Yes?” he responds quietly and Y/n lifts her hands, getting her hair off the sides of her face and under his palm.

“Hold my hair,” she smiles, her gaze then dropping back to the spike in front of her. The pre-fluid gathered on the tip of it is slowly licked off by a warm, velvety tongue, causing a jolt of pleasure to pass through the warlord’s entire frame. She places her hands on the base of his shaft, then moves her hands up and down slowly, turning her wrists slightly while she takes his spike into her mouth once more. That is the last slow thing she does, however. Just when Megatron thinks that he’s in for another round of torturous teasing, his lover breathes in deeply through her nose and suddenly starts moving her head up and down his shaft quickly, and Megatron gasps from how sudden and absolutely perfect it feels. Her hands and her mouth working on him simultaneously in a rhythm that quickly builds up the tension in his frame, the mech throws his helm back onto the back of the sofa and groans.

“Ah…yess, Y/n, just like that..” he praises and his hips jolt when the woman circles the head of his spike with her wet tongue sloppily before swallowing his shaft deeply again. Her lips are dragging over his metal, her tongue is pressing over his nodes, her throat is hot and tight, her hands are immediately rubbing where her mouth had just been, not giving Megatron even a moment without her attention, making his charge build up and up until-

With a breathy, growling moan he overloads, hunching over the woman at his pedes instinctively as transfluid spills out of his throbbing spike. He feels Y/n gulp it down, he feels her hand squeeze his shaft, continuing to stroke it slowly as she sucks on it, drawing the rest of his transfluid from him and making him see sparks, a long loud pleasure-filled groan leaving him as he leans back on the sofa. The mech lifts his servo off his lover’s head and when she slowly leans back his spike is exposed to the air of the room once again. He hears his lover take a few deep breaths and, just when he thinks she might climb back onto the sofa, he feels her tongue on his metal once more, licking off the fluids, her touches now so very gentle. Megatron hears a soft, rumbling sound of pleasure leave him as he all but melts into the sofa, completely blissed out. His optics open slowly and try to focus while Y/n presses her lower face to her forearm to dry off her mouth and chin. The mech’s vision cooperates finally and he looks at her in wordless adoration, reaching out to her and placing his servo under her chin, gently urging her to come back up and into his arms.

“You are so good to me, my dear,” the Decepticon lord praises her with a smile as his lover climbs up and onto his lap, her tender expression warming his very spark. His arms wrap around her as he kisses her, tasting himself on her tongue with satisfaction, “Now…Allow me to take care of you.”

 

If Y/n thought the wetness between her legs and against his thigh would be left unattended to, she was severely mistaken.

 

 

*******

 

_Year 1, June_

 

 

_“And…there,” he hears Y/n speak in a hushed voice, probably to herself. Suddenly, the sound of coming rain is obvious, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He throws a glance forward and sees the approaching wall of water, the grass bending under it. He looks back to Y/n and sees the first drop of rain hit her open palm, the drop is so big that as it splatters part of it flows out of the girl’s hand. That moment as well as the image of Y/n welcoming the storm with open arms, looking like she herself brought it upon this land, it stays with Megatron for a second as several other large drops fall all around them and some – on him, droplets shattering upon colliding with a steel-coloured frame. Then, finally, the wall of water fully reaches them._

_It’s warm, the water is warm and there is a lot of it. Both of them instantly get soaked, and it reminds him of the shower he has in his hab-suite. The air feels clearer somehow and the smell of ozone and wet grass is many times stronger, but all of it doesn’t matter, because Y/n is looking at him now and it’s almost painful for his spark to see her so gleeful. She is soaked to the last thread of cloth, water is running down her body in small rivers and she is just so beautiful. Beautiful and his. He makes a step towards her and she happily leans forward, no doubt wanting to do the same. But lightning strikes right above them and, suddenly, there is a familiar shimmer in her eyes. He knows that look, it promises mischief. By the time thunder roars above them, the girl slightly parts her lips and throws him a look, one he wouldn’t ever confuse for anything else. It was one of the looks she threw him in bed, one of longing for him. To top it off, her wet, soft lips whisper his name and he can feel his frame starting to heat up immediately._

_And then she darts to the side and starts running away from him._

 

_His frame instinctively reaches after her, his arm almost halfway up before he realises what she is doing. It is only a moment, but Y/n is much more than human so it gives her a good head start. Megatron grins darkly and, as lightning flashes and thunder roars, his pedes dig into the ground and he dashes after the girl, the sheer impact of his start upturning the ground where he just stood._

 

...

 

He throws her onto the bed and Y/n drags him on top of herself by his collar plating, smiling playfully when Megatron plants his servos on the bed to both sides of her head. The pillows and blankets under them get wet immediately from how soaked the both of them are, but neither of them cares because Y/n is already leaning up to kiss the mech while he leans down, switching to keeping himself up by planting his elbow joints onto the bed while his servos hold his lover by the back of the head and caress her bare, grass-covered back. The warlord hums in approval into the kiss when he feels the young woman’s hard nipples rub against his chassis and Y/n gives such an arousing sigh when he presses into her more, the delicate skin of her whole breasts pressed against his metal now. Her skin feels colder than usual – then again, that is no surprise considering where they just returned from. Still, Megatron decides to rectify that.

He kisses down from her lips to her neck and quickly licks some rainwater off her skin, Y/n’s pulse fast under his glossa. His servos do away with the last soaked shreds that were once a dress and his lover sighs oh so sweetly once he licks around her left nipple and then quickly takes it into his intake. They have just interfaced not fifteen Earth minutes ago, but both of them are already impatient for more, greedy creatures that they are. The mech’s left servo cups and then squeezes Y/n right breast, relishing both the feeling of it and the way the woman’s hands caress the back of his helm and his shoulders as she breathes deeply. His knee is already between Y/n’s spread legs and, after having his fun with her breast, the mech moves his servo lower – down his lover’s abdomen, over her hip bone and over the inner side of her right thigh. Carefully, his index and middle digits drag down, almost to the young woman’s knee, and then back up until they reach the wetness between Y/n legs, making her gasp and twitch lightly, then hum approvingly. Oh, that is no rainwater down there, not at all, not after what they were up to in that field. The warlord smiles lustfully and presses the sides of his digits to his lover’s wet folds, rubbing carefully. His digits are too sharp to put them inside, but his intention right now is to thrill and tease her. Besides, he doesn’t have to enter Y/n to make her back arch, just…like… _this._

 

“Mmhhh…yess..” Y/n says in a quiet, pleasure-filled voice that is so beautiful to his audials. The now slick metal of one of his digits rubs against the 'node' at the top of her slit and Megatron takes his time admiring his lover's face as he applies steady pressure while his digit moves in a circular motion, sometimes dipping lower to run over the entrance to her core and get some more slick, clear lubrication fluid onto his servo. His spike is already out, throbbing heavily and twitching each time he feels Y/n’s twitch and writhe - reactions that he himself is the cause of.

So, when his lover’s leg gently touches his spike and drags over it, trapping it between the metal of his abdomen and soft skin, the Decepticon lord makes a sound that is something between a hiss and a groan and hangs his helm low for a moment, after that looking back up at Y/n, his optics burning bright with overwhelming want. His lover reaches out and the tips of her right hand's fingers brush over his neck plating, ending up under his chin as she makes him move up and hover over her with the greatest of ease, all the while keeping her e/c eyes locked with his optics. Her hand then slides up, under his helm and over his cheek as she leans up and kisses him deeply, and the force with which he kisses her back presses his lover deep into the pillows and blankets, making her gasp into the kiss delightfully. Her arms encircle his neck and her legs spread wider apart before hooking themselves onto his hip plating, the sensation of her whole body pressing against him making him immediately forsake everything else in the world. He angles himself and presses into Y/n’s hot, wet core, both of them moaning breathily, their lips so close that the mech can feel his lover’s breath on his lower faceplate. He sheaths himself inside her quickly, Y/n’s lubrication and his own transfluid from before making it a much easier task and allowing Megatron to start moving at a fast pace immediately and to their shared delight. Moving inside of her is better than he can describe, the feeling of his spike being gripped so tightly by something so soft, hot and pulsing is something that makes him lose his mind from pleasure every single time. Having Y/n around him, having her this close - it makes him forget everything but _this._ He wants more, more of this, always more.

The mech feels Y/n’s nails drag over the metal of his back, hooking into the parts over the lower-layer armor as she moves against him, matching his increased pace, both of them hopelessly in the thrall of their carnal desires. The obscene, wet noises coming from both their fluids mixing and coating his metal and her skin only spur them on and one accidental memory of before, of Y/n on the grass under him after he just caught her is enough to make a sudden overload hit him. It hits him so powerfully he _needs_ to get his lover’s shoulder between his dentas and, once he does, he presses down just enough to keep him sane and make Y/n gasp and moan, her nails scraping at his armor as her walls spasm around him, only prolonging this intense, white-hot pleasure that washes over him.

 

They’re both breathing/venting hard right after and it takes a moment for Megatron to realise that there’s a strange, faint iron-like taste on his glossa. Forcing his optics to open, he realises that there is red on Y/n’s skin – there is little but it is there, no matter what her already healed skin tells him. The mech stills for a moment, his mind still uncooperative after a second powerful overload this cycle. A lightly trembling hand on the back of his helm is something that snaps him back to reality, soft skin brushing over his helm and over the back of his neck lovingly.

“Blood?” she asks quietly and surprisingly casually, before… _giggling_ , “Kinky. You can do that again sometime. I liked it.”

 

And, just like that, his daze turns to curiosity.

 

“Did you now..?” the mech asks slowly, his voice rumbling affectionately, his spark at ease once more…aside from it still calming down from their interface, that is.

“Hmm…bite me again next time and we’ll make sure,” his lover hums playfully then gives an exhausted but elated little laugh as her hands slowly move over the metal between his collar plating and his shoulder armor. The Decepticon lord smirks and looks over the small red smear again before leaning down and taking a curious lick. Human blood has the primary note of iron…how strange, considering their organic nature. Or was it just Y/n?

“Does all human blood have a faint taste of iron to it?” the mech asks quietly, after that dragging his glossa over s/c skin once more, enjoying the sound of Y/n breathing in with a quiet, pleased hum. With this, he now completely got rid of all evidence of his bite.

“Mhmm,” his lover nods, rubbing her cheek against the side of his helm affectionately. Primus, it is ridiculous how much that affects him - he is not sure he’d want even Y/n to know, “Everyone I know describes it like that. Humans tasting like metals… _Iron_ ic, isn’t it?”

“Somewhat, yes,” the mech agrees, closing his optics and pressing his faceplate against the nook of Y/n’s neck as he vents through his intake deeply. He then turns onto his back slowly, bringing his lover along, his arm around her as she rests her head on his chassis. As he looks down at her, he absentmindedly notes to himself that her h/c hair a complete mess. On another note, perhaps it is not such a bad thing that Y/n’s blood has a metallic note to its taste…he could see himself getting used to that if things got as wild as this orbital cycle. Yes, he could certainly... _Wait._

 

“Y/n.”

“Hmm?”

“Was that an iron pun?”

“…Perhaps.”

 

The lord huffs and rolls his optics at the human humour. The satisfied smirk Y/n gives him as she looks up is adorable, though, so not all is bad. The young woman continues smiling, though, and the mech raises an optic ridge questioningly.

“We’re a mess. I can feel that there’s a bird nest on my head and both of our legs – _especially_ your pedes - are a sorry sight,” Y/n giggles, her bare shoulders trembling as she holds her hand to her lips. Megatron looks down and – sure enough – his pedes _are_ a mess from all the grass and mud on them. Y/n’s legs are in a much better state since she doesn’t exactly have sharp cloven pedes to dig into the ground with. On further inspection, Megatron notices that the blankets and sheets are not only wet, but also dirty, with mud, grass and even some leaves. There are wet shreds of grey cloth on the floor and - speaking of the floor – those are definitely his muddy pedeprints all over it.

The warlord looks at his lover again. She looks over the chaos with impressed amusement before shrugging and looking back at him with a lazy, satisfied smile.

“So. Wanna take a nice hot bath together, darling?”

Megatron smirks. It is absurd how in love with her he is right now.

“Gladly, my dear.”

 

*******

 

 

_Year 1, July_

 

Y/n's cabin seems to shake violently as loud sounds of breaking and crashing suddenly come from it one day, followed by heavy, tense silence.

 

“...Okay then. Hah…ahah-!” Y/n starts laughing, wiping away a tear from the corner of her right eye as her laughter gets stronger quickly. She seems to manage to calm down, but then glances to the side and starts to laugh again, fruitlessly trying to get a hold of herself by covering her face with her hands.

Megatron sits next to her, optic ridge raised as he watches his lover laugh borderline hysterically, both of them sitting on the floor next to their bed that completely broke and collapsed in the middle of them interfacing, sending both confused lovers rolling off sideways.

 

This would have never happened with a cybertronian berth. What good was _wood_ compared to metal?  And besides-

 

Megatron chases away the unhelpful stream of initial thoughts as he watches the young woman’s shoulders tremble, her being no closer to calming down than she was half a minute ago…and it's kind of funny.

“Heh,” the warlord smirks, looking over the now useless bed and his bare lover sitting next to it. Y/n stills and looks up at him for a moment before hanging her head and leaning into his chassis, laughing again. The mech chuckles deeply, draping his arm around her shoulders as he closes his optics and shakes his helm slowly.

 

 

*******

_Year 1, Mid-August_

 

_Megatron looks over the empty cubes of Energon and Y/n sees a devilish smile appear on his face as he sits up, oil pouring off his shoulders and chassis in waterfalls. Before she can ask, a large servo reaches out and grabs the cube she’s sitting in, the other servo putting in a straw that the girl had brought as more of a joke._

_“You’re really going to- Yep, I guess you are!” she laughs, gripping the sides of the cube as the mech lifts it and brings it to his neck- level._

_“Is there a problem?” the Decepticon lord asks slyly and Y/n readjusts herself in the cube, smirking._

_“None at all,” she replies as she raises her leg, dips the tip of her foot into the Energon and flips some of it his way, a portion of it managing to successfully land on his cheek and lips. The mech raises an optic ridge and she can’t help but grin, the grin changing into a very satisfied smile as she sees him lick the drops off his lips. The warlord then takes the tip of the straw into his mouth and, a moment later, Y/n feels and sees the Energon drain from the cube, revealing more and more of her body to Megatron. The young woman crosses her legs again slowly as she looks up at her lover, amusement and a glint of lust in her eye. Once she’s completely exposed to his hungry gaze, the mech throws the straw to the side, making her chuckle._

_“Mhmm, now what?” she teases, knowing that Megatron can’t exactly do much with her right now. The Decepticon lord has an idea, however, because he brings the cube closer to his face and gives one of her legs a slow lick, the large and hot grey glossa dragging along her Energon-covered skin. A soft ‘Oh’ escapes Y/n as she realises that there indeed are things that Megatron could do to her. As crimson optics watch her reactions attentively, the young woman smiles and bites her lower lip in anticipation and arousal. That is all the mech needs to proceed._

 

 

The large glossa drags up her other leg to her knee and Y/n can’t take her eyes off what’s happening, both adrenalin and heavy, mind-clouding lust taking over her body. Megatron brings his other servo up and starts turning the cube over, her body sliding down and onto her lover’s palm. Y/n decides not to tell him that it took quite a bit of self-control not to instinctively grab onto the sides of the cube when she’s so high up. Fortunately, she trusts Megatron more than she’s afraid to fall.

The cube is thrown to the side. The loud crashing sound it makes as it hits the floor is somewhere down below and very much unimportant, however, while up here Y/n is looking into the red optics of her ridiculously giant lover. Intrigued by what he’ll do next, the young woman props herself up on her elbows and puts one of her legs over the other, this time keeping them outstretched, however. Megatron raises an optic ridge slightly and she feels warm air wash over her as he chuckles quietly in amusement. The proxy spots his dentas, the light of the lord’s private bathing room hitting them momentarily and making goosebumps cover her skin. Her body both anticipates what is about to happen _and_ recognises how very exposed she is and how very dangerous the mech holding her is - both feelings mixing to create a heady, intense one Y/n has no name for. The cybertronian parts his lips again and his large, hot glossa drags over one of her legs and over her side, the warm faintly Energon-smelling air from his breaths making Y/n herself breathe deeper.

“Oh you are just full of surprises, dear,” she says with a breathy chuckle, not wanting to give away just yet how much exactly he had her body trembling already. Large, bright red optics watch her closely as the warlord merely hums - doing so thoughtfully and as if enjoying a delicious meal, only further speeding up Y/n’s pulse. She throws her head back once his large, hot glossa drags over her chest - she can feel the Energon pulse through the glossa and against her skin, over her own rapidly beating heart. _That’s right,_ Y/n thinks as moist, grey metal drags over her neck, _this is Megatron’s real frame._ Not holomatter skin or metal – no, his actual frame. Large and unimaginably powerful, the one he emerged in almost five million human years ago is the same one that is currently holding her carefully as he licks the Energon off her skin. Something about that makes Y/n’s lower abdomen throb in excitement, her legs pressing together more as she lets out a long, pleasured breath. Megatron stops and, once he leans back enough for her to actually he his full face, the young woman looks ahead and sees that he seems beyond pleased as he watches her with a husky, approving hum.

 

Gods, he is so handsome.

And she is so very turned on right now.

 

“I am glad to see you are enjoying yourself,” the Decepticon lord’s voice rumbles what seems like all around her, making her fingertips tremble, “Because I _certainly_ am. Now, open your legs for me.”

The affectionate voice coupled with what was undeniably a command makes the young woman swallow and pull her legs up, bending them in the knees as she watches the mech’s face while she purposefully waits with parting her legs. Large crimson optics narrow slightly and a stream of warm air hits her skin once again when the mech speaks:

_“Y/n…”_

It’s only her name, but the warning tone it is said with makes an excited shiver run up her spine. She can’t help it, she loves teasing him so much. The proxy offers the warlord a mischievous smile, but then finally obeys, slowly opening her legs to him as she holds her breath and as the muscles of her abdomen tense from how exposed she feels. She hears, she _feels_ Megatron suck in air through his intake and, as a pleased rumble of a hum reverberates through his chassis, she feels that too and it makes her nails drag over the metal of the palm under her. The mech looks into her eyes wordlessly before bringing his gaze down to between her legs again and, once he leans closer, the hot air that washes over her and especially over her exposed core makes her whole body tremble. She wants to close her eyes and throw back her head, but the desire to watch is stronger, her gaze focused on those scarred metal lips that are nearing her and that glossa that is so close, so very cl-

“Oh!…Ahh! _Mmm_ …” Y/n moans as the large, almost burning hot glossa drags over her adrenaline- and lust-filled body, pressing against her inner thighs, her nether lips and her abdomen all at the same time. It feels surreal and she wants _more_ of it. She finally throws her head back in pleasure when she gets her wish – the warlord rolls his glossa and presses its tip between her legs gently – well, as gently as he can, which still makes her back slide over his palm a bit, the pressure amazing and completely incomparable to anything. To her moan, he responds with one of his own and, while it’s quiet, it still makes her whole body tremble as she feels his voice in her very bones.

“I can taste you,” the warlord tells her in a husky voice, her inner thighs feeling like there’s an open and heated oven next to them, “Now tell me, is that my glossa being that sensitive or is it you enjoying yourself that much?”

Y/n can’t help but give a short, breathy laugh at that question, a happy and horny smile settling on her lips as she hears the mech smirk.

“Oh I am _...hah…_ enjoying myself _a lot,_ ” she tells her lover without a trace of shame, letting him hear how much she likes what he’s doing to her, “I only wish I could repay you somehow…Mm-mhah~”

“Do not worry yourself about that for now, my dear,” the lord tells her after another lick, “I am having a marvellous time.”

 

With that, he does something that makes her whole body jerk and then tremble visibly. Her head thrown back, Y/n doesn’t see it coming - she just feels his glossa run over one of her legs and then his hot breath roll over her body again before, suddenly, his large dentas scrape over her skin ever so gently. Y/n’s eyes go wide and her breath hitches as she looks down to see those giant sharp metal teeth drag from her knees to her ankles.

“Scared?...” the warlord asks with a rumbling chuckle. What he doesn’t expect is for her to move her elbows and slide down his palm somewhat, her right knee coming up to swipe over the left half of his upper lip teasingly.

“Did you ask something just now?~” she asks smoothly despite her heart hammering away in what feels like somewhere in her throat. She doesn’t care, she loves everything about this. She sees those dentas close right in front of her leg as the mech smirks and then move apart once again as he leans in closer. Y/n opens her legs wider – as far as they would go while still being able to find purchase on Megatron’s palm, really – and gasps loudly when the mech’s lips close over her inner thighs and everything in between. Y/n's whole world is reduced to the heat of Megatron's mouth that damned, wonderful glossa dragging over and pressing into her skin. It’s too much, too unreal, or maybe too real, just– _too much,_ it’s driving her insane and she has no idea what she should do with her hands until she finally thinks of desperately grabbing onto the mech’s digits and holding onto them as she arches her back and whimpers.

Her mind a complete mess, she’s still able to pick up on the familiar, distant sound of Megatron’s pelvic armor transforming off of his interface array under all of the oil her lover is still submerged in up to his waist. It seems he really _is_ having quite a bit of fun, Y/n manages to think before a gentle suck from the mech makes her forget what her own name is while her senses are running wild. There are sharp dentas lightly, oh so lightly grazing her, the pointed end of that hot, wet glossa is flicking against her inner thighs, and over her folds, and the feeling of those lips, _those lips_ on her when the mech sucks on her again-

“ _Megatron!_...Ah...Megatron,” she half-whispers, half-moans desperately, repeating her lover’s designation again and again - almost as if pleading for help, almost as if she’s praying - her breaths uneven and her gaze unfocused, her hands grasping his metal digits like a lifeline while her eyes are squeezed shut. And, in response, she hears a wonderful sound of the mech moaning as well, his deep voice echoing throughout her body, finally bringing her over the edge as she climaxes so hard her gasps and sharp breaths get shaky, almost as if she’s crying. Oh wait, are those tears in the corners of her eyes?...

“Hnnng..hah!.. _Ah..hah..._ ” her body, overstimulated and high on both adrenaline and endorphins, doesn’t know what to do with itself as her breathing can’t seem to even out, sudden intense jolts of pleasure making it hitch again and again as the young woman is a complete mess. Megatron’s lips place last, incredibly gentle (considering his current size) kisses to both her trembling thighs and leave her body. The air hitting her skin is borderline painful – she doesn’t know how she looks like down there and she really doesn’t care, it’ll be back to normal in a moment anyway while the aftershocks of her orgasm will still be making her shiver and keeping her mind in a state of blissful chaos.

Finally, once she’s able to take a shaky, but uninterrupted breath and as she breathes out, her senses come back to her in a capacity that at least allows her to open her eyes and look at the mech who had reduced her to this state. Her eyes immediately meet the gaze of Megatron’s bright red optics. They are so beautiful, she thinks, she can’t get enough of how beautiful they are – it actually makes her somewhat emotional, her senses still being an overstimulated mess only adding to that.

 

_“You…”_

“You…”

 

They both fall silent and, after a momentary pause, chuckle softly – Y/n’s voice exhausted and light after her release while Megatron’s is deep and soaked with lust, his frame still full of built-up charge.

 

“Yes?..” Y/n asks with a loving smile, eyes half-lidded as she somehow manages to prop herself up on her elbows again and slowly starts pulling her wonderfully aching body up into a sitting position. The look the mech gives her sends another wave of post-orgasmic pleasure running through her body.

“You have _no idea_ how special you are,” Megatron tells her, “And how much you affect me.”

There’s a joke that could be said about her only needing to look down to know the extent of her affecting him, but it’d be completely out of place here since by the lord’s tone she knows he doesn’t mean just _that._ The young woman leans a bit to the side, rubbing the side of her head onto her lover’s middle digit as she looks into his optics fondly.

“Are you well, Y/n?” the lord asks her then, optics looking over her in not so much worry, but the obvious need to make sure.

“I am,” she assures with a nod, her voice tender as she places a kiss to the metal his digit, “You are..ah, _quite talented_ , darling.”

 A pleased, deep rumble of Megatron’s voice is her reply, the mech’s digits moving slightly to brush over her body, the side of the tip of his index digit slowly, carefully brushing over her cheek. She knew this was Megatron’s own body, but the mastery he held over it still amazed Y/n to this day.

“What were you about to say?” he asks her, the young woman smiling warmly as she responds:

“I just wanted to tell you how beautiful your optics are,” she says softly, watching his optic ridges raise just a bit, his lips parting slightly, “I know I have told you that before, but I’ll gladly repeat myself.”

 

The mech looks her face over for a moment and then smiles. It is a kind smile that, coupled with the passionate look in his optics, is one of the most treasured sights Y/n has ever committed to memory. She loves him so much it almost hurts.

 

“Now,” she says, her voice dropping to a more sensual tone, her body leaning up a bit now it's responsive again, “What can I do for you?”

There is a tiny, little spark in his optics as the mech looks at her – it’s there and then it is gone, but Y/n noticed it.

“Yes?...” she inquires, already excited about whatever he has in mind and moving one of her shoulders slowly in a way that usually catches her lover’s attention, “Anything you want, _my Megatron.”_

Oh, that gets him. Her reminding him he is as much hers as she is his always gets him to open up like a charm. She observes, curious, as the mech gets up just enough to kneel instead of sitting down and she holds her breath for a moment, swallowing softly as she sees his spike – massive, with honey-coloured oil dripping from it as it bobs heavily. The thought of him getting that hard from pleasuring her small body puts her somewhere between incredibly touched and unmeasurably aroused.

“I want you to watch me. Talk to me,” she hears her lover’s voice above herself – it’s thick with desire and, when Y/n looks back at his face, she’s met with a gaze so lustful it’s scorching.

 _“Of course,”_ she whispers ardently before feeling herself being lowered to the floor, next to the edge of the sunken bath.

“…From there,” the mech adds, towering over her, his servo placed over his enormous spike that is now just a couple of meters above her.

 

Oh.

Oh wow, yes, _yes-_

Right, talking.

 

“Yes, dear,” she tells him lovingly, gaze lifting to lock with that of his optics before lowering to his shaft again. The way his servo moves over it as it throbs, biolights and nodes glowing, it makes her chest heavy with arousal, a tingle running up her tights and to her core despite her still not being fully over her last orgasm yet. Hmm…but a little performance wouldn’t go against her lover’s wishes, she thinks.

“Oh, you pleasuring yourself is...” she sighs, biting her lower lip and looking up and down the huge shaft, “It does things to me, Megatron.”

She lowers herself slowly to her knees as well, her hands sliding over her legs and her sides as she does, and Y/n hears the mech’s cooling fans activate, warm air washing over her a moment later, carrying the smell of oil with it. Her hands move higher and the young woman grabs onto her breasts, squeezing them gently and moaning softly, her body still hypersensitive after what Megatron put her through.

“I wish I could touch you like you’re touching yourself right now,” she shares, voice heartfelt, every word sincere and filled with lustful adoration as she admires the view, “Or better yet, let you continue just like that while I put my mouth to your valve and repay you for all the pleasure you gave me.”

Above her, Megatron groans and she can see his oil-covered servo squeeze the spike tighter, his strokes becoming faster. An idea pops into her head and she immediately voices it, overwhelmed by a sudden intense desire to see it realized:

“Do you want to overload all over me?” she asks, eyes cast up at her lover’s face, catching the moment when his lips part and a husky, heavy groan escapes the mech. She takes it as a yes and it makes her whole body tingle with excitement, her voice breathy and almost helpless, “I want you to. _Please.”_

 

The sound that Megatron makes this time is more of a growl and Y/n watches in both awe and overwhelming arousal as he pumps harder and faster, his engorged spike throbbing as the mech is so very close to overload.  Her legs spread a little further apart at the display, her core pulsing with warmth, spreading it through her whole body while the air from Megatron’s vents warms her skin at the same time. The young woman sighs, her breath turning into a long, pleasure-filled moan when she sees pre-fluid appear on the tip of the mech’s spike and then roll down the underside of his shaft, immediately smeared all over it with a quickly moving servo.

 

“Yes,” Y/n whispers loudly – not even to fulfill her lover’s wish, but because she can’t help but voice her excitement, “Just like that. Overload and let me have all of your transfluid, all over me…”

The young woman lets out a needy, soft moan, her lips staying parted as she leans up and lifts her head a bit more, knowing that her beloved lord is watching her.

“ _Argh, Y/n._..mnngh,” the servo on the mech’s spike continues stroking more slowly but also much more roughly and, as the mech’s hips snap forward, she is suddenly being covered in liters of warm, viscous transfluid.

“Mm, yes…” she praises breathily, feeling drops of her lover’s cum land onto her lips and tongue as it splashes over her whole body. It tastes much like what she’s used to, but a fair bit stronger, and Y/n closes her eyes, letting herself be covered in it as she lets out a sweet, pleased moan of approval, rubbing the transfluid over her chest slowly. Above her, Megatron groans, probably appreciating the show she’s giving him, and a couple more splashes of warm transfluid hit her body as the mech milks himself until he’s completely spent.

Both of them are breathing heavily and Y/n focuses on these sounds as she remains on her knees with her eyes closed. She’s completely drenched in transfluid – it’s in her hair, on her face, her shoulders, it runs down her breasts, her abdomen and legs before gathering in puddles under her. Her hands are completely covered in it and the woman brings her hand to her lips and licks some off the inside of her wrist, opening her eyes and casting a look up, at her lover’s face. He looks completely entranced as she drags her tongue over her wrist, then the side of her palm and then swallows down what she has gathered onto her tongue. And, while he watches her, she watches him as well - his optics refocusing on her after an especially powerful overload had messed with his vision a bit being a sight that filled her with post-coital adoration each time she saw it.

 

...

 

They are in Megatron’s shower soon, water falling from the ceiling in an imitation of an extremely heavy, warm rain, washing away the oil and transfluid from their bodies and sending it down the drain. Y/n is sitting in the mech’s servo, rinsing her hair after washing it. Good thing she’s been keeping her shampoo and other bathing stuff here for quite some time, she thinks as foam is quickly washed off her hair, leaving it silky as water continues to run through it. It’s in the shower where the thrill of their interesting little interface session finally lessens its impact on them and Megatron turns to look at her with curiosity when Y/n starts chuckling. She thought that the sound of water coming down onto his giant frame and hitting the floor would be enough to obscure the sound, but nothing escapes the Decepticon lord’s attention, apparently. The young woman puts her hand above her eyes to keep the water off them and grins at him.

“Well _that_ was fun!” she tells the mech, raising her voice bit to be sure he heard. The young woman sees him raise and optic ridge with a smirk, then lift his other servo and cover her from the water, rivers of it immediately running between his digits like small waterfalls.

“Indeed,” her lover agrees, bringing her closer to his face, the half-grin he flashes her revealing a bit of dentas and making her look up and down Megatron’s face in a flirtatious manner.

“Do tell me when you’re up for something similar,” she tells him with a wink, hoping to encourage the mech to keep her updated on whatever other ideas he comes up with.

“Same to you, my Y/n,” he smirks, optics looking at her fondly.

 

That night is spent in the warlord’s quarters, Y/n nestled on Megatron's chassis while his large servo is placed over her affectionately and protectively. It’s probably strange to have someone so very different as a partner…probably strange for someone else. As she falls asleep, Y/n does so holding a knowledge in her heart that she wouldn’t trade this for anything.

 

*******

 

_Year 1, Late August_

 

  _  
_

It is night – the sky is full of stars and the ocean water looks like ink in the darkness, the silvery glimmers from the moonlight jumping over small waves that wash over the sand on the shore. Her friends on the Nemesis are spending this night, much like the couple previous ones, in the hangar that Y/n had transformed into a temporary celebration park of sorts in honour of All Sparks Day. The young woman herself, however, is enjoying the peace and quiet of the night-time island, the water rocking her body gently as Y/n floats on her back and marvels at the sky above. Compared to the darkness shrouding the island, the sky seems so bright, so incredibly full with stars, with the misty path of the Milky Way stretching over it. Outshining it all and brightening half the sky with its white light is the moon – it has just begun to wane and is still very close to a perfect circle as it illuminates both the sky and the Earth.

It’s a unique feeling – to float in the dark waters in the night, where it’s not clear where the ocean ends and the sky begins. It’s disorienting but in a good way, in a way that almost lets her feel like she’s floating among the stars, her body hugged by the warm shadows that are actually the warm ocean waters. Her ears are underwater and she hears the waves wash over the shore and the sand move as its dragged forth and then back again. A new sound joins these familiar ones – in the quietness and serenity of the moment, it’s almost like there’s suddenly an aircraft carrier moving through the waters, cutting the waves with its unyielding hull. But no, Y/n already knows it’s just a really large man with quite the confident gait - the knowledge makes her smile as she waits for him to approach. She wonders how far away from shore the waves had carried her – would he have to swim? Probably not, she thinks, she hadn’t been carried that far yet - the current wasn’t too strong today. Soon, her head bumps into Megatron’s chest and as she throws her head back a bit, her e/c eyes meet human burgundy ones in the darkness. The young woman smiles lovingly.

 

“Hello there,” she says softly. The man nods and though he doesn’t smile, his expression is kind – something not many others get to see with the Decepticon lord.

 

Y/n turns around and she pushes her feet against the water, swimming even closer to him and bringing her arms around the man's neck, her chest pressing against his as she hugs him, her lower body submerging into the dark water. She hears him sigh and feels his hands move through the water then touch her back as he keeps her where she is. Large palms and long fingers slide over her back underwater, then above the water as one of his hands comes up to between her shoulder blades. Then, slowly, both of his hands slip down her sides to her hipbones. A moment later, Y/n’s being lifted up, water splashing quietly as it falls down from her chest and sides into the ocean. She closes her legs around the man’s waist and slowly leans back a bit to look at his face.

“Hm?~” she hums quietly, looking over his face. Megatron doesn't say a word, but the intense look he gives her is one that immediately makes her heart ache with how much she loves him. His hands are busy, but hers are completely free and so she runs her fingers through his hair and her thumbs swipe over his temples as she looks into his eyes. She holds his face in her hands as she admires him, both of them standing in this darkness of both water and sky, only the moon and the stars casting their light on them. But she doesn’t think about the moon or stars, or anything else but Megatron right now. The man leans towards her she immediately does the same, their lips meeting for the first time since the mech left for the Nemesis in the early morning. Not even a full day away, but oh, how she missed him, she realises now that he’s in her embrace again. One of her arms is around the man’s neck while the other is also behind him with her fingers in his hair, massaging the skin of his head and tugging at the silver strands gently. Their kisses quickly get more passionate, both of them sighing onto each other's lips as their bodies press against each other, Megatron being able to feel her erect nipples rubbing on his chest while Y/n feels his growing hardness between them. The young woman leans back just to admire her lover for a moment, but she only gets that one moment, because the Decepticon lord leans forward and covers her lips with his again, making her melt into him instantly and return the kiss eagerly. She can feel Megatron moving his hands underwater, she can feel the bottom of her bikini being pulled to the side, making a shiver run up the young woman’s spine, the water feeling cool against how heated her nether regions were getting. The man's hot, hard shaft slides over her lips and it makes both of them breathe out slowly, the harmony of their slow, pleasured sighs absolutely perfect to her ears.

Y/n feels herself being lifted a bit higher and presses her lover’s head against her chest with a gasp as he lowers her onto his hardness. Megatron breathes out hotly against the wet skin of her chest and, once he is fully sheathed inside her, they stay still for a wonderful, blissful moment of unity. The lord’s lips brush over the little hollow between her collarbones and she can feel him pushing the wet material of the top of her bikini off her right breast with his nose, after that taking her nipple into his mouth, making her gasp and close her eyes. He starts moving slowly and Y/n moves together with him, holding onto his shoulders and moving her hips as he holds her securely. Water splashing around them quietly is now adding to the sounds of waves washing over the shore somewhere to the side of them, but those sounds are nothing compared to the quiet sounds Megatron makes – his breaths and quiet groans, his lips touching her skin as he kisses and gently sucks on her breasts and her neck.

She holds on tightly onto him, onto the wet skin and hard muscles, and she doesn’t care whether it’s skin or metal - all she cares is that it’s Megatron’s body against hers, it’s Megatron who holds her, who breathes into the skin of her neck while his hands squeeze her tights as both he and her get closer and closer to climax. It’s her who cums first - with a shaky gasp a quiet mewl, she presses herself against Megatron as much as she can, arms and hands around him, holding him like she’s afraid she might lose him at any moment. She hears him moan and feels a hot exhale against her skin. Megatron holds her tightly against himself and presses his forehead against her sternum strongly, and a moment later he cums, liquid warmth filling her, making her shiver from both her own pleasure and the pleasure her lover’s release brings her. Lovingly, she holds his head against her chest, stroking his hair and the back of his neck with her still lightly trembling hands.

They stay like that for a while, small waves washing over their upper bodies, the water of the night ocean cold compared to their heated skin. She feels Megatron nuzzle the nook of her neck affectionately, his holoform rippling a moment later, and Y/n carefully lifts her hand out of his hair and then places it back onto a familiar metal helm, caressing the back of it. The mech moves a bit, lifting his helm and Y/n leans back a little as well, looking over beloved cybertronian features, into optics that are so bright in the night. The lord looks at her closely, then slowly leans forward once more, pressing his forehead against hers, closing his optics and sighing contently. He isn’t talkative today, but that is completely fine – words are not needed with actions as telling as these, with optics as affectionate as his. The darkness and quiet around them just adds to how they already feel during these private, intimate moments – like the rest of the world is not there, like it’s only the two of them. Y/n looks over the mech’s face fondly before closing her eyes as well, pressing her forehead against his a little more and smiling a small, happy smile.

 

 

*******

_Year 1, Mid-September_

 

Megatron’s blade swings down and makes sparks fly as the proxy holds up her spear horizontally to block the attack, the loud screeching sound of their weapons colliding and dragging against each other filling her room.

“Okay, _now_ do you wanna tell me what’s up with you today?” Y/n hisses as she looks up at the mech from behind her spear, the force that he is pressing down with making her entire body tense and her arms struggle to keep her weapon up.

“I already told you what is wrong,” the Decepticon lord tells her, crimson optics narrowing.

 _“Sure,”_ she narrows her Energon blue eyes as well, irritated more than anything. After that she quickly – inhumanly quickly – bends one of her arms, changing the angle of her spear and making Megatron’s sword slide down to the side with a burst of sparks. All of it happens so fast that it seems like a sudden high-pitched metallic sound and the small explosion of sparks is all that happens between Y/n standing in front of Megatron and her suddenly standing four meters away.

“So you do not believe me now?” the warlord demands, red optics getting scorching hot with anger.

“That Breakdown bumping into you accidentally in the hallway is what made you this annoyed for the _whole_ day? I find it _doubtful_ at best,” Y/n shares, looking up at the mech and spinning her spear in her hand slowly as she takes a few steps to the side. The mech has been getting increasingly frustrated lately, his bad mood and secrecy not made better by the fact that he sometimes just picked the tiniest reason to be angry about. Or, at least, that's what _he said_ he was angry about. And was it a coincidence that almost always the reason was somehow tied to her - be it her opinions, her planet's conditions or her friends? Oh, Breakdown ran into him in the hallway - that is _clearly_ reason enough to brood all day, give her displeased looks and remind her how her choice of friends and 'teachers' could be better. Sure, the normally smart Megatron wasn't acting stupid or suspicious _at all._

“Some days my patience wears thin,” the lord tells her as he also takes several steps in the opposite direction, his sharp digits furling and unfurling. They circle each other like two irritated predators, eyes/optics kept on the other’s body/frame, “Try experiencing ‘accidental’ idiotic behaviour of others for millennia.”

Y/n gives the mech a look of partial doubt, her back kept straight proudly as she looks over him, trying to pick up on clues as to how much truth is in his words and not taking any of his attempts to guilt her into doubting that something is indeed wrong.

“And _that_ kept you brooding and snippy for the entire day?”

“You are not exactly helping matters by calling me ‘snippy’,” Megatron goes on the offensive – both figuratively and literally, charging at the young woman again, his blade quickly slashing not down, but up to try and strike the spear out of Y/n’s hands once she puts her spear up to block again. Only the proxy doesn’t do that, instead dodging out of the way and bringing her spear down. There’s a loud clashing sound, Y/n’s weapon smacked out of her hands by Megatron’s bare servo literally backhanding the top half of her spear with a strike so powerful it makes Y/n’s hands tremble with aftershocks. As the spear flies through the air, the proxy dashes forward, ducking under the servo that tries to grab her and jumping up, grabbing onto Megatron's collar plating, pulling herself up and planting her feet on Decepticon insignia-resembling armor parts of his knees.

 

The metal spear hits the floor with a high-pitched clashing sound and then rolls even further away, eventually hitting the wall.

 

“You were deliberately slow,” the champion of Kaon observes, almost insulted as they are suddenly face to face, Y/n’s eye level being somewhat higher now. His blade presses to her back lightly – just enough to remind her that the move she just pulled would have cost Y/n her life in actual combat...but she really doesn’t care about that right now.

“Well this _is_ practice - you’re not exactly striking at my spear with enough force to shatter the bones in my arms and I’m not exactly attacking you with the intent to injure you,” the young woman reminds, looking at Megatron’s face as the mechs seems to be calming down somewhat, instead looking at her intensely with those red optics Y/n loves despite how insufferable secretive and stubborn the mech is being right now.

“With an expression like the one you just recently wore, one might assume you were,” the mech tells her, raising an optic ridge as he's looking up at her.

“You should talk,” Y/n parries, “You’re the one with the scary expressions and a thundercloud over his helm.“

“This is how I act when met with stupidity!” the mech borderline growls, his tone somewhere between exasperated and angry as he stomps with one pede, Y/n’s hands on his chassis plating gripping it tighter.

“No, _right now_ you’re acting like you act when met with stupidity!” the proxy points out, no less exasperated as she rolls her eyes, “When you get all quiet and get _that_ look in your optic, that’s when I get nervous.”

 _“What_ look in my optic?” the mech asks in irritation, rolling his optics as well before focusing them on her again.

“The ‘I’m thinking over stuff that gets me angry’ look,” the young woman says and as Megatron glares at her but remains silent, she knows she’s right – even if he won’t admit it right now, the prideful jerk, “Listen, if there is anything bothering yo-“

“There is noth-”

“ _Isn’t_ there?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Aside from those you call friends being complete morons  - no,” the mech tells her and Y/n sighs, realising that – whatever it is – she won’t hear about it today. _Fine,_ she can give the mech some more time to think about whatever has been making him so grumpy recently. Besides – she isn’t exactly enthusiastic about telling him 'You can talk to me' too many times - he knows that by now already and she isn’t going to repeat it a hundred million times like she’s some nagging, prying femme Megatron needs to deal with on top of dealing with whatever it is that’s on his mind right now.

“Fine, then,” the young woman tilts her head to the side a bit and from the corner of her eye sees Megatron’s blade starting to dissipate, holomatter particles fading away into nothingness almost like ash scattered by the wind, “My friends are not morons, though.”

“They are. You simply do not have the burden of commanding them,” the Decepticon lord argues, his voice less angry and just more stubborn now that Y/n had started to change the subject. Raising one of her eyebrows, the young woman looks down into red optics unenthusiastically.

“ _Everyone_ is a moron to you,” she points out and the mech huffs.

“Have I ever called _you_ a moron?” he asks as he rolls his optics, making Y/n bark out a laugh.

“Well not to my face!”

The look of pure indignation that paints Megatron’s features at the implication he might have been talking slag behind her back is simultaneously funny, flattering and very much terrifying, so the proxy quickly adds:

“That was a joke.”

The fire that seemed to be rising in the mech has stopped and instead he looks over Y/n’s face with suspicion, optics narrowed.

“I certainly hope so.”

 

Y/n sighs and both of them stay quiet for a moment, looking at each other while stubbornly holding onto their own opinions.

 

“Can we agree they are morons _sometimes?”_ the young woman proposes, her hands beginning to hold onto the metal plates in a more relaxed manner now that tensions have died down a bit and Megatron hasn’t moved for a while.

“Always,” Megatron says in a tone like he believed he was ending the conversation. Ha.

“Are you even aware of the word ‘compromise’?” the proxy asks, her eyes a bit wider as she’s amazed by how stubborn the mech wants to be over something so damn trivial.

“There is _no need_ for compromise when I am the one in the right,” he tells her as he leans up as much as his neck would allow and Y/n catches herself just momentarily remembering how he usually does that to kiss her before her thoughts return to the matter at hand – namely, how unbearably obstinate the mech is being.

“You…are you serious right now?” she asks, leaning a bit down subconsciously as she stares into crimson optics that look over her face before settling on her eyes again.

“It would be much easier if you just agreed with me,” the mech tells her somewhat more quietly because of how close they are to each other - she can actually feel his voice rumble in his chassis and neck as she keeps her hands on his collar plates.

“You have a whole ship of subordinates for that,” the young woman reminds the Decepticon lord with a quiet huff, making him raise an optic ridge.

“So you are arguing for the sake of opposing me?”

_The nerve._

“No,” Y/n says, gripping the purple collar plates tighter once more – really, she’d gladly grab him by the shoulders and give him a good shake or… _or something!_ “I’m arguing because I have a point. _You’re_ arguing because you’re stubborn.”

 _“Careful, Y/n,”_ the mech warns, his voice lowering as his large servos slowly and firmly close around her upper arms, “Do not try my patience too hard.”

 

She suddenly wants to try his patience so hard.

 

“Or what?” the young woman asks, making it a point to let her expression show that she’s very much confident in her own safety, “Or will you try and intimidate me into becoming more obedient? Is that what you want, _Lord Megatron?”_

The sneering notes only barely finish leaving her when the world suddenly spins and Y/n gasps as the air is slammed out of her lungs, Megatron pushing her against the wall and kissing her violently. He holds her by the forearms, her feet dangling above the floor and she is gripping his collar plating, not even thinking of letting him get too far away. The young woman takes a deep breath when Megatron’s lips leave hers, the warlord’s words hot against her skin as he breathes into her neck.

“Insolent little...“

“What?” the proxy demands, hoisting the mech up and away from her neck by his collar plating to stare into his optics demandingly, “Insolent little _what?”_

Megatron grits his dentas as he gives her a look that is meant to tell her that she shouldn’t have pulled him away from whatever he was about to do to her. Tough luck. Crimson optics look over her, anger and lust mixed in their intense gaze, making the young woman feel like her entire body is on fire, and she pulls the mech closer, kissing him hard as she reminds him that she’s not someone he picked to be his subordinate. A low growl that she can feel in her very bones makes a shiver run up her spine and when the mech pushes himself between her legs, she swings those legs onto his hips, pulling him in even closer. Megatron’s servos leave her upper arms and slam into the wall to both sides of her head, making the metal wall under her back vibrate and her breath hitch instinctively. The smug smirk that Megatron gives her at that makes her want to both slap him and die for him, and when he leans down to graze her neck with his dentas, she thinks she’ll settle for wanting him inside of her   right   the   fuck    _now._

And, once he finally puts that spike of his to her slit and impales her on it, the sudden stretching is borderline painful which is perfect right about now, because she really feels like scraping her teeth against the mech’s neck plating, making him groan and move his hips with punishing strength, metal slapping against skin loudly. He holds her up by the thighs as he sets a fast, merciless pace and soon her legs being wrapped around his hips is not enough at all, the mech reaching out under her knees and taking her by the ass, holding her up and fragging her while her legs were now bending over the inside of his elbow joints. Y/n’s arms are around Megatron’s neck as she holds on, the mech's abdominal vents making her abdomen sweat as they push borderline hot air onto it and that fucking perfect, throbbing spike filling her, then being dragged out over her wet, pulsing inner walls only to be slammed back into her – over and over and over again. She can feel her mech groaning and venting through his intake onto her right shoulder while her own moans and shallow breathing are next to the side of his helm, Megatron having leaned down to-

“Aah!” Y/n doesn’t bother holding back a loud gasp as his dentas close over the skin of her shoulder and press down, not puncturing skin just yet, but giving a sudden and intense shock to her whole body, _“Yes!”_

Holding her shoulder with his dentas, Megatron gives the skin a greedy suck and the woman hangs her head low and moans into the metal of his chassis. One of her hands finds its way under the mech’s helm, nails scraping strongly over the more sensitive metal on the back of his neck.

“Mnhrr… _Frag, Y/n,”_ the warlord curses in Neocybex into the temporarily bruised skin of her shoulder before giving it a greedy lick, glossa pressing into the skin enough to make the proxy arch her back and grind her hips against the mech even more eagerly.

They both breathe heavily and don’t speak much, but the sounds they _do_ make are mostly loud and primal, and the looks they give each other may have passed for hateful glares if they weren’t so filled with lust and greedy admiration of what each of them has in their servos/hands. They don’t stop at one overload, instead moving to the cabin and continuing there and by the time they are finished the room is in a state that will no doubt require repairs - a broken bed headboard and claw/nail marks on the wall above it being only two examples of what the two inhumanly strong lovers left behind after their sudden and temperamental fragging session.

“That was ah…huh,” the young woman sighs, her chest rising and falling as she tries to get her breathing under control. Her eyelids feeling heavy, she closes her eyes for a moment, the world around her feeling like it’s spinning slowly while her own heartbeat feels like it’s so loud that Megatron can no doubt hear it.

“...Exactly what was needed?” the warlord offers quietly and though he is already capable of wording entire sentences, his abdominal vents are still pushing out warm air, their quiet sound endearingly familiar and a confirmation of how much Megatron was also affected.

“Yes,” Y/n nods, taking a deep breath through her nose and opening her eyes a little to look at the warframe beside her. It’s then that she sees Megatron lifting his arm invitingly and the proxy doesn’t even hesitate when she moves closer, presses her body against her lover’s frame and rubs her cheek against the warm metal of his chassis. His arm is placed around her and a servo now rests on the curve of her waist, its weight comforting and familiar.

Both of them completely relaxed, Y/n moves her hand over the mech’s hot abdominal plating and chassis, hoping that this state of peace would last for as long as possible. When her hand stops and rests over the warlord’s Decepticon insignia, she faintly feels a still elevated pulse under all the layers of metal, making her sigh contently and turn her head, placing a kiss on the steel-coloured frame. A large servo covers her hand and stays like that for a bit before lifting her hand and pulling it a bit higher, out of Y/n’s view. Scarred lips press to the inside of her palm and Y/n closes her eyes, relishing the moment and hoping it’s a sign of things clearing up soon. She’ll try a little harder to trust Megatron to tell her what’s up once he’s ready, she decides. Her ring finger lowers and its tip drags over the mech’s upper lip lightly before it’s caught between sharp dentas and almost immediately released after a small, lazy nip. Both the warlord and the proxy smirk softly and the latter’s hand is placed back over the former’s spark gently, sharp-digited servo staying over it.

 

 

 

*******

 

_Year 2, Late September_

 

 

After all misunderstandings between them were cleared up it felt like it got easier to breathe on the Nemesis, the lovers once again having each other as their respite in the otherwise chaotic world. Which was something of extreme, unquantifiable value. Also, they were now able to enjoy each other as much as possible before Megatron left for his several-orn long mission.

Speaking of...They are in the middle of quite the passionate interfacing session when his lover decides to switch poses. When Y/n’s arms are suddenly gone from around his neck and he is suddenly roughly flipped onto his back, the mech is immediately intrigued. He can’t help but give a long, husky moan when he then sees his lover on top of himself and already lowering herself back onto his spike. His half-lidded optics watch her as she takes him, her back arching, chest pushing forward and legs wide open, her soft folds spreading apart as his spike disappears inside that maddeningly tight, hot passage. Oh, he could frag this woman ‘till the end of the universe. The mech lifts his gaze up, looking over her abdomen, over her chest and her neck and watches his lover’s face. Her eyes are closed, her lips agape slightly as she breathes in and out softly, her expression that of lustful bliss. So beautiful. And his.

“Ahh, yess, Y/n,” he praises when she takes him in fully, her nether lips pressing against his protoform – both already slick with lubricant from before. The woman above him takes a deep breath and opens her eyes slightly, looking into his optics in a way that makes his frame heat up even more and his servos immediately grab onto her waist impatiently. Much smaller hands cover his servos, however, and move them up slowly, placing them on her chest. Oh, this is nice, he likes this _very_ much. Y/n lifts herself off his spike slowly and then lowers herself back just as unhurriedly, letting them both savour it fully. He, in turn, squeezes her breasts just as slowly, the sensation of soft skin and hard little nubs under his palms making it not easy for Megatron to keep his restraint.

As she pushes her chest into his servos, his lover’s hips move in a slow, sensual circular motion that makes the warlord groan. With a sweet moan of her own, Y/n bites her lip and does it again, a little quicker this time. With her walls squeezing around him and with her hips moving faster and faster, it’s beginning to drive the mech mad – the erotic display in front of him only adding to the charge that’s building in his frame. It’s then that Y/n decides to bend back a bit and reach back with her right hand, her fingers sliding down over the slick metal and over his lower, secondary panel.

 

His whole frame jolts and the panel snaps open by itself before he even thinks about it.

 

“Oh~?...” Y/n makes a soft, devilish sound of inquiry as she smiles, pleased, while her index, middle and ring fingers caress the already soaked mesh folds of his valve. It’s so much different than her own delicate one - for one, the mech’s outer lips are larger, thicker and covered in red stripes of his biolights. Structurally, though, and especially from outside, they are surprisingly similar and Y/n quickly became very adept at pleasuring him there as well.

“Ngh…Mhah,” the mech vents through his intake, closing his optics and throwing his helm back onto the pillows as his lover grinds her hips slowly, her inner muscles grasping his spike tightly while her thin, long fingers rub over his valve folds teasingly, pressing to his opening a bit and immediately getting soaked in pre-fluid.

“Oh you are just gorgeous…” he hears the young woman whisper breathily, her soft voice thick with arousal. It makes the Energon in his fuel lines boil and his spark pulse so intensely he can see sparks while his optics are closed. The lord breathes out loudly, a moan slipping from between his parted lips when two of his lover’s fingers slowly dip inside of his valve and a generous amount of accumulated fluids flows out - he can feel it trickling down his protoform, then armor and onto the bed under him. Continuing to move on top of him, Y/n slowly thrusts two and then three of her fingers as far as she is able, withdraws them slowly and runs her hand up and down his slit before her middle finger moves around and over his outer node.

 _“Y/n…”_ he growls in warning, urging her to do...something. Anything. This slow torture is driving him mad and he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to keep himself from pinning her down and fragging her so hard it would teach her not to test him like this. Ah, but on the other servo…what sweet torture this is.

The woman on top of him hums softly.

“Servos on my waist, please,” she requests smoothly but also clearly putting effort into restraining herself and, once her request is immediately taken care of, he feels her hand lower back to the opening of his valve, “Hold me tightly now...”

That’s not something she had to ask for, he was already wondering if his servos were gripping her too strongly with how tense with want he was. He’s unable to wonder about anything a moment later, however, because Y/n’s three longest fingers start moving around his outer valve node, her soft fingertips applying pressure in a steady rhythm. Both his intake and his vents suck in air greedily and before the mech ex-vents his lover lifts herself half-way off his spike and slams back down onto it, her hand still on his node. Megatron grits his dentas and gives a stifled, yet loud growling moan, his hips snapping up and making Y/n join him in moaning lustfully.

 

She wants him to hold her tightly? _Oh he will._

 

“Mm yes…do that,” the woman says, closing her eyes and obviously not minding him taking over lowering her body onto his spike again and again while she concentrates on matching his rhythm and taking care of his outer node. The doubled pleasure makes the mech feel like his whole interface panel is tingling and on fire simultaneously, the stimulated sensors of both his spike and valve making him groan and utter a husky _‘Faster’_ to his lover. Like magic, with one word the pleasure to his node doubles as Y/n’s fingers start moving more quickly and the pressure they apply increases in just the right way to make him feel like it is going to fry his damn processor. 

The woman gasps and moans loudly when he speeds up his movements as well, plunging his spike into her hard and fast. His overload is approaching quickly under Y/n’s attention and skilful fingers and she seems to feel it, continuing to rub his node quickly while taking his spike with a blissful smile. When the mech’s spike is painfully erect and he feels that overload is just about to wash over him, it’s the outer node of his valve that suddenly triggers it - the steady, perfect touch of Y/n’s fingers paying off in an overload so intense Megatron hears static in his audials. His vision glitches just before his optics close and he presses his helm into the pillows while shoving his spike into his lover deeply, transfluid gushing from both it and his valve. Right now, his whole world is Y/n’s core that holds him so snugly, pulsing against his own throbbing metal, and Y/n’s hand that hasn’t stopped immediately after his overload came, instead applying less pressure while continuing to caress his node slowly, drawing out his climax and drawing a blissed out moan out of him.

Once he opens his optics slowly and looks over the woman still sitting on his spike, he is treated to the view of her tasting him on her fingers, her half-lidded lustful e/c eyes on the clear gel-like substance. His spike twitches at the sight and nothing about Y/n moves but her eyes...that are now on him. She smiles at him before taking half of her glistening ring finger into her mouth and sucking on it. His still sensitive interface equipment sends a tingle through his frame at the sight.

“Did you..?” the mech asks, looking his lover over, mostly sure that she hasn’t overloaded yet. The young woman looks very satisfied with herself when she shakes her head slowly. Her finger leaves her mouth and she gives the mech a charming, mischievous smile.

“Not yet. There are still things I want to do,” she tells him, breathing deeply as she lifts herself off his spike and lets it slide out of her, his armor and protoform coated in their mixed fluids, “If you’re up for it, darling?”

 

Even if Megatron decided to lie and say he wasn’t, his still hard spike bobs heavily from Y/n’s tone, so the mech simply smirks, feeling excitement and arousal rise up in him again at the prospect of Round 2 coming up this quickly.

 

“What do you have in mind, my dear?” the mech asks, warmth from his recent overload still pulsing through his frame, making his voice thick with pleasure and affection. His lover seems to just admire him for a moment, smiling at him lovingly before getting onto her knees between his legs and moving farther away on the bed until she can comfortably lie down in front of his open interface panels.

“I feel like tasting you tonight. A lot...Would you indulge me?” she coos, resting her head against his inner thigh cutely while her pupils are so dilated from lust that the irides of her eyes seem almost completely black. Oh yes, he can certainly relate to how she feels – he himself is guilty of wanting Y/n so strongly it sometimes seems like obsession. He knows that she’s the same, that both of them are the same, even still… A reminder of her wanting him - wanting to hear, to touch, to taste him  - so intensely makes his spark skip a beat while both his spike and his valve twitch in anticipation. Primus, he loves this woman.

 

His optics filling with hot, intense need once again, Megatron reaches out, slowly takes his lover by the chin and swipes his thumb digit over her lower lip. Then, he gives her a nod.

 

*******

 

_Year 2, October_

 

 

 “…And what did you say when you turned me over?” Y/n giggles, “’What a pretty little valve you have, so wet for me’? That’s just sweet of you.”

Megatron chuckles, his optics half-lidded as he watches the young woman’s face in lazy contentment, feeling her drag her leg over his own slowly. She’s resting on his chassis, arms folded over it and head placed on her forearms, looking at him with those lovely e/c eyes. They’re both tired and very much satisfied after a rather rough round of something that can only be called ‘fragging’. But, with the charge in their frames gone now, it is time for lazy caresses and light-sparked/hearted pillow talk.

 

Him. Pillow talk. Who would have known.

 

“You were no better,” the mech reminds with a lazy smirk, “’Please, I need your hot, perfect spike inside of me, now’, was it? Was it two or three ‘please’s that came after?”

Y/n huffs with a grin, rolling her eyes and gently slapping his chassis.

“You like talking about your spike no less than I do, if not more. ‘You like getting my thick spike shoved into you, don’t you?’”

“…Don’t you?” the mech asks with a slightly raised optic ridge, his own rumbling chuckle blending so nicely with Y/n’s endearing one a moment later. His lover’s eyes crease up a little as she smiles at him playfully, leaning up and placing a small, momentary kiss on his lips.

“You know I do.”

Megatron smiles smugly, his servo rubbing up and down the young woman’s back in approval. She places her head onto her arms again and inclines it to the side a little, smirking.

“Though you can compare it to when you started out with pushing my face into your valve all dominantly and then ended up wi- _Ah!_ Ahah! Stop it!”

 

The warlord narrows his optics, his digittips now making his lover tremble and twitch as he assaults her nerve endings.

 

“A-and ended up-ahhah stoop, come on!” Y/n tries to chide him, but it is not exactly working while her speech is interrupted by laughter. She then moves up swiftly and his face is suddenly in her hands, e/c eyes sparkling with Energon blue in warning as she gazes down into his optics intensely, “ _And then ended up with begging me for more._ I know you can remember what you said to me. Now, what was it..?”

He looks up into her eyes and tries to move his digits again, but Y/n’s lips mouth a ‘No’, her thumbs swiping over his cheek plates. She is not letting him off the hook, is she? No, she is not. His optics blink slowly and the mech leans up, his gaze no less intense than his lover’s.

“I said ‘More, move that glorious tongue of yours more. _Please_ ’,” he says slowly, optics narrowing slightly as he emphasizes the last word since she wants to hear him say it so much. The young woman looks pleased, rewarding him with a long, sensual kiss that makes both of them sigh onto each other’s lips by the end of it.

“That you did. And it was one of the most erotic things I’ve ever heard,” Y/n compliments softly and, while it is not news to him that his voice affects her the same as hers affects him, it is something that makes a sense of very particular pride spread from his sparkchamber and through his frame. His Y/n climbs a little lower to nestle on his chassis once more, returning to her previous position and closing her eyes. And, once he places his servo onto her back again, he feels her jolt just a little instinctively. _Adorable._ The mech smirks to himself and proceeds to offer tickle-free caresses to his lover’s skin. He likes feeling her under his servo and the young woman told him on many occasions that she loves the attention he gives her back, so this is perfect.

 

_Perfect._

 

Megatron smirks, making his lover open one of her eyes and look at him with curiosity.

“Hm?”

“My spike is ‘hot and perfect’,” he says, the side of his mouth showing off his dentas as he grins in smug amusement. Y/n chuckles, raising an eyebrow.

“It very much is. And my tongue is ‘ _glorious’._ ”

“Indeed, it is,” the Decepticon lord smirks, keeping the steady gaze of his optics on the young woman, “Just like the rest of you.”

“Oh that is just not fair,” his lover opens both her eyes and shakes her head with a smile, then pressing a couple of kisses to his chassis, right over his spark. He does not know if she listens for it, but every time she does that it makes its pulse quicken, if only for a short while, “All of you is hot and perfect to me as well.”

“Never thought I would be online to see the orbital cycle when I would be compared to my own spike,” the warlord says with an amused smirk, nevertheless glad to hear the half-joking praise.

“I mean, neither of us thought we’d live to see the day when we’d be sharing a bed with an alien of a completely different molecular structure, but here we are.”

“Ah, that is _very_ true.”

They both smirk, much calmer this time, returning to their lazy state of contentment. There was still a couple of orbital cycles left until Megatron would have to leave the Nemesis for several orns to search for the Decimator, and the mech was intent on remembering this…All of it - both the interfacing, and these quiet, even amusing moments after it that were so new to his life. He predicts that, despite his willpower and his focus on other things, he is going to miss this _considerably._

 

*******

_Year 2, November_

 

Well, since Megatron isn’t here to help her with this, she might as well take care of herself.

 

That’s what crosses Y/n’s mind while she’s alone in bed late at night, not exactly sleepy but not energetic enough to get out of bed and do anything. Might as well have a little fun. She reaches out to her laptop and smirks to herself – it’s been quite some time since she looked up some naughty stuff online for her own pleasure. In the darkness of the room, the bright light of the laptop screen makes her squint, but her eyes soon adjust and she’s faced with a choice of what she wants to look at.

 

_Megatron’s lustful expression would be nice to look at._

Okay, brain, not helpful. Megatron is not here right now.

 

Y/n thinks for a moment. Okay, so…real porn or nsfw art?

 

_A giant and insanely powerful mechanical alien that looks at her with his scorching red optics, frame still hot after training in the CSR. Her hand dragging down his abdominal plating, letting her hear his breathy chuckle of approval once he’s much smaller but still so damn large, and already on the bed._

The young woman breathes in and out slowly. That…is better than anything, yes. But he’s not here right now. Okay, so maybe-

 

_Megatron’s groans, warm air pushing out of his abdominal vents, his throbbing spike._

‘BRAIN. We can’t look at that right now, Megatron’s not… _Oh._ ’

 

Okay, Y/n thinks to herself with a little mischievous smile as she slowly closes the laptop, plunging the room into darkness again. She’ll do this ‘old school’, with the help of some memories and imagination. This will be fun. The young woman makes herself comfortable on her bed, under the blanket. She never needs blankets or covers when she’s with Megatron - the heat of his frame plenty enough to keep her warm. She sighs, closing her eyes and remembering the warm frame of her lover, how it would heat up when he got aroused. The warm air the mech would breathe onto her or that his vents would push onto her, sometimes nearly too hot when things got very passionate and even rough. Or when she’d tease him mercilessly, making him groan and even growl at her when she’d deny him another overload. Oh those sounds coupled with the expression on Megatron’s face were a good memory, yes...

One of her hands slips down to the hem of her underwear and rubs over her covered pubic area and outer lips, her chest rising and falling as she takes a deeper breath. Or what about the quieter moments, Megatron looking at her with an intense stare of those crimson optics of his as they run their hands/servos over each other, the air around them heavy with their adoration of each other at that moment. Her hand gently rubs a circle over her folds, for now applying just a little pressure for it to feel somewhere between ticklish and arousing.

She thinks of Megatron’s servos on her, touching her, his metal rubbing over her skin, and her other hand slips under her shirt and up to her breast to squeeze it gently. Her hand is too small to imagine it’s Megatron’s large, wonderful servo, but even so the stimulation coupled with the memories make her nipples harden quickly. She raises her index finger and gently rubs the tip of her nail over the sensitive nub, remembering the sensations Megatron’s sharp-digited, skilfully careful servos would bring her. Her lips press tightly together when she remembers the warlord’s servo rubbing over her folds and Y/n pushes her panties to the side, dragging her middle finger over her already hot nether lips. His rumbling chuckle would make a shiver run up her spine and the mech would whisper something into her ear before kissing her neck, maybe even sucking on it, leaving a love bite there. Sometimes, she wished she wasn’t a proxy so that those love bites wouldn’t go away as quickly. Remembering the feeling of Megatron sucking on a sensitive spot on her neck makes the young woman smile and arch her back a little as she adjusts herself on the bed a little more, her legs spreading wider apart.

Oh and how wide she has to spread her legs for the mech to get between them. The memory of Megatron’s pelvic armor touching the sensitive skin of her inner tights makes Y/n’s hips jolt a little – it’s such a familiar feeling by now, his metal against her inner thighs, it brings with it an almost instinctive reaction, Y/n's body knowing what’s to come next. Pleasure, so much hot, wonderful pleasure. The young woman can remember the sound of his pelvic armor transforming out of the way, and the memory of this sound that has nothing in common with human intercourse makes her inner walls clamp around nothing and throb in anticipation and need.

 

How she’d love to have Megatron inside of her now – in whatever pose, whatever pace, however long, just…

 

A long sigh leaves her as she gathers the moisture from her folds and rubs it onto her clit, her fingers moving slowly in a small circle around and over it.

Or maybe first she’d like to have some fun with that gorgeous secondary interface equipment of his. Her mouth waters as she imagines, no, _remembers_ the noises of pleasure the mech would make as his valve was kissed and licked lovingly, the soft protoform derma mesh of the outer lips sucked on and the red outer node at the top of those lips licked gently. How his valve would spread to allow her fingers in, the calipers inside expanding and contracting, sucking at her fingers as greedily as the rest of Megatron is. The feeling of copious amounts of lubrication fluids around her fingers, coming from between the valve folds and down over them, it’s making it impossible not to lean closer and-

Y/n licks her lips, swallows and bites her lower lip as she breathes out through her nose, her fingers already dipped between her wet, swollen folds and into her pussy while her other hand is alternating between massaging the side of her neck and squeezing her breast. She then takes out her two soaked fingers out of herself and gives some attention to the hard nub of flesh above her nether lips again, trying to replicate how Megatron would move that incredible glossa of his when he’d eat her out. His hot, wet metal running over her slick folds, his voice rumbling between her legs as he tasted her, got his glossa deeper into her, thrusting into her pulsing passage and making her thighs tremble and her back arch, her breath get shallow and more uneven. Oh he just loved doing that, sometimes making her come several times before he had enough, his servos holding her thighs with an iron grip that left her helplessly open to the warlord and with no options other than be reduced to a panting, blissed out mess. The only thing that had a chance to make him change what he was doing was the magical word ‘please’. ‘Please’ was something both of them used when they were desperately, _desperately_ aching for each other and how Megatron’s optics would light up in both adoration and pure want when she would say it was absolutely breathtaking.

 

 _‘How beautiful you are,’_ she hears the warlord’s husky voice as she imagines him get away from between her legs, climb over her and get ready to give her what she so desperately needs, _‘Beautiful and mine.’_

 

There were so many ways to feel Megatron’s spike inside of her. Take it into her mouth, biolights glowing and fuel lines pulsing under her lips, the mech groaning and looking at her intensely and demandingly while she keeps him there on the edge, him being forbidden from interfering as beads of delicious pre-fluid roll from his tip down his hot, heavy shaft before she takes it into her mouth again. Lie on her back, spread her legs and hold onto the steel-coloured chassis armor as she feels the spike fill her, making her gasp and moan into Megatron’s neck. Get turned around or turn around herself and feel strong servos grip her hips before that hot shaft is thrust into her. Lower herself onto it while straddling the mech, watch Megatron’s face as she takes more and more of him or throw her head back in intense pleasure if he brought her down onto the spike himself. Or be held up effortlessly, lowered down onto that massive spike, the mech watching her writhe and moan in his arms as he smiles hungrily, dentas showing even more when she manages to offer him a pleasure-filled smile of her own between gasps, moans and heavy breaths. Or…Or do it against the wall, the warlord either holding her up as he thrusts into her or Y/n’s chest pressing against the wall as she sticks out her ass and pushes back against the mech as he takes her, his clawed servos either to both sides of her or on her waist, his hot breath on the top of her head and his vents pushing warm air onto her lower back.

A particular memory flashes in her mind.

_She’s on the bed, head down and ass up as he fucks her roughly, both of them loud and saying whatever it takes to spur each other on, his servos no doubt leaving (very temporary) bruises on her hips from how strongly he grips her. That long, fat spike inside her, shoved into her with each powerful, rough movement of the mech’s hips as he presses her into the bed. He then pulls her up, her back now against his chassis, and Y/n can feel that he’s close, the feeling of his throbbing spike slamming into her and his massive frame behind her making her own orgasm approach quickly. He hunches over, his mouth closing over the skin of her shoulder, making her say his name in a loud gasp that turns into a moan as he growls into her and bites down, hot transfluid filling her-_

 

“Ah! Mmm…” Y/n gasps and covers her mouth with the back of her hand when her orgasm washes over her like a sudden, powerful wave, making her close her legs with her other hand still over her core, her chest rising and falling as she breathes deeply and smiles, even laughs a little, endorphins running wild in her brain.

 _‘My dear Y/n…’_ she remembers Megatron’s affectionate, husky voice as he spoke into her ear after one of their many lovemaking sessions. Oh how she wants to hold him, now even more than before her climax - just feel the warmth of his frame and listen to the pulse of his spark, to the satisfied rumble of his voice. The young woman brings both her arms around herself and buries deeper under the blanket, trying to fool her blissed-out body for just a moment that Megatron really is back with her. She breathes deeply and there is a noticeable lack of the smell of heated metal, ozone and something distinctly Megatron. Y/n sighs, her body finally fully relaxing, tiny shivers of pleasure still running through it occasionally as she turns to her side and rubs her cheek against the pillow.

A lazy, half-baked though comes into her drowsy mind.There is still a ‘space demon’ hidden away in her wardrobe...She might...Would be bad if she wouldn’t be able to take Megatron’s spike once he came back after his long absence, right?…Perhaps…Why not?

Her mind finally succumbs and she falls into a deep, dreamless sleep. She’ll think about it tomorrow.

 

*******

_Year 2, December_

 

 

This is fragging ridiculous.

 

Megatron growls and slams his fist into the wall behind his back. He’s been trying to read, key word being _‘trying’_. He’s been restless since he came out of recharge today, his mood soured by the dissonance between there being a gorgeous Y/n pressed against his frame in his dream and there not being one in reality. He was no sparkling - he knew how to take care of this state. He was just stubbornly ignoring it since he had work to do. But, he supposes, he better take care of this after all before he accidentally offlines someone just because his frame has too much built-up charge and misses the closeness of his lover too much.

With a deep ex-vent that is more of a long, annoyed huff, Megatron puts his datapad to the side and tries to get himself comfortable in the chair he is currently sitting in. Might as well get this over with quickly, he thinks as he closes his optics and makes his pelvic armor slide back unceremoniously.

 

 _“Now now,”_ he suddenly hears Y/n loving and slightly teasing voice _, “There’s no need to rush this, let yourself enjoy it. You should be taking better care of yourself, darling.”_

His optic ridges twitch over his closed optics, his servo stopping to hover over his still closed interface panel. Maybe he was missing Y/n more than he thought. Or maybe he has gotten so used to her being there during his moments of pleasure that his processor is now trying to compensate for her absence. In any case, this is nice, even if it’s just his imagination.

The Y/n in his thoughts puts her delicate, soft hand onto the array cover of his interface panel and the mech places his own servo onto it slowly. The feeling doesn’t compare to the real thing, but he works with what he has. And what he has is a suddenly resurfacing memory of Y/n making him take a little break from work.

 

_“You did say that ‘occasional shows of affection are very much welcome’,” the young woman says smoothly as she slowly brings her leg over his lower frame and plants it on the sofa next to his thigh, straddling him._

_“Indeed,” he replies in a steady, but clearly pleasantly surprised voice while admiring the view. His Y/n is wearing nothing but a short silk robe and he can feel how soft and warm her legs are as her thighs press against his._

_“You looked like you were a bit stressed out, dear. What troubles my favourite mech?” his lover coos next to the side of his helm, her fingertips sliding from his shoulder armor to where it meets the armor of his chassis - long, deft fingers slipping between the layers of armor and massaging there. The mech sighs and shifts his shoulders a bit as he relaxes under the attentive ministrations._

_“It is nothing…No, it is incredible how after millennia of service some of my officers, not to mention lower-ranked bots, are incapable of performing to expectations. In the most minor, easily fixed ways as well,” the Decepticon lord grumbles, his optics narrowing, “If my forces weren't so scattered and there wasn’t a dire lack of personnel, I’d...”_

_A warm hand drags over the inner part of his arm, down to where his datapad-holding servo is, and gently yet firmly pries the device out._

_“I could tell you everyone is overworked and overstressed by the millennia of war,” Y/n tells him softly as she throws the datapad to the other side of the sofa without taking her eyes off his optics. Before Megatron huffs in mild indignation, she smiles knowingly and continues, “But so are you. Instead, I’m asking you to take a break. It’ll be a little easier to find it in your spark to tolerate the poor idiots after that.”_

_The warlord smirks, putting his servos on his lover’s hips and pressing her more firmly against his closed interface panel, his pelvic armor already gone. Y/n knows just what to say, doesn’t she? The young woman smirks as well, her hand now slowly travelling up his arm – up the grey metal of his armguard  armor, over the purple section under his elbow joint, over the inner side of said elbow joint, over the once again grey armor - now that of his upper arm. Her delicate fingers trace under his shoulder armor, over his purple collar plating and up his neck until they stop under his chin. An alluring smile graces Y/n’s lips as she gently lifts his helm higher by his chin, e/c eyes looking into his optics in a way that he immediately knows what is left unsaid. And he feels the same. Despite his life experience telling him he should not have allowed himself to._

_She covers his scarred metal lips with her own warm, soft ones and the mech sighs into the kiss, forgetting what he was doing just moments before._

 

Megatron vents through his intake loudly, his interface panel snapping open, his spike pressurising. He adjusts his sitting position and the cables in his thighs feel tense while his chassis feels heavy with need. His optic ridges come together as he momentarily thinks to himself how he previously never was this… _dependant_ on someone to get this particular kind of frustration ridden of. Getting his frame’s urges under control was a simple task for him, be it by finding someone willing or doing it himself. He was perfectly able to take care of himself in a satisfactory manner and it required none of that pesky interpersonal exchange – finding someone, bringing them to his quarters, having to remind them that It Means Or Changes Nothing, having to get a minimal feel of their frame…so much work for so little payoff, especially since rumours spread across the Nemesis like an oil fire. With his willpower allowing for it, he’d rather wait until there was somebot he’d want to frag enough to bother doing something about it. It also had the benefit of him not needing anyone for anything but military purposes.

 

_“Military purposes, hm?” an imaginary Y/n chuckles softly against his neck, placing kisses on it before dragging her tongue over it in one slow, long lick, “Well I threw a wrench in your little plan, didn’t I?”_

She definitely did.

 

The mech spreads his thighs a little wider and reaches for his half-erect spike, coaxing it to full hardness with the greatest of ease, considering how his mind is running wild with memories of him interfacing with Y/n. He strokes himself from hilt to tip, gritting his dentas as he turns his wrist joint once his servo is over the head of his spike – an imitation of how his lover sometimes does. A quiet groan leaves him and, while his optics are closed, he knows the biolights and lesser nodes on his shaft are bright with arousal. His entire length jerks lightly as he imagines Y/n’s lust-filled eyes on him right now. The mech swallows, continuing to work himself. Up and down, up…down…

Up and down his spike Y/n goes in his memories, lovingly gazing at his faceplate as while she rides him. He admires her and his servos move from her hips up her sides and over her breasts, making her close her eyes with a close-mouthed, sweet moan that makes his vents work overtime. Or when he is not allowed to touch her at all, his servos gripping the headboard of the bed strongly enough to leave claw marks on the wood as his lover takes him into herself, a seductive smile on her lips…and with just enough of a dominant spark in her eyes to make his spike throb and weep pre-fluid inside of her while Megatron groans and curses both the promise of ‘not moving’ he has given her and the damn metal chain around his wrists. Or when the tables are turned and it is Megatron hovering over her, dragging the tip of his spike over her sensitive, wet folds after having tasted her to his spark’s content and denied the woman her overload several times. Waiting until his precious Y/n - her arms tightly bound by a wide silk ribbon just like the one that is covering her eyes as well -  finally surrenders and he hears _‘Please’_ shakily uttered in that voice he so loves.

 

Ah, all the ways his lover can make him feel good – he has so many memories of it. The mech strokes himself, remembering all that comes to mind, the shaft under his servo rigid and hot.

 

Her mouth going up and down, lips pressed tightly around his spike. Her tongue dragging over the nodes on the underside of his spike. Her sucking out his pre-fluid eagerly, making him groan and call out to her through squeezed dentas. Y/n rubbing his spike over her nipples then later jerking him off and while her long, warm fingers are in his valve and her lips kiss over the biolights of its swollen derma mesh - her warm, velvety tongue licking his lubrication off them. Him tasting her, her whispering his designation as he runs his glossa over those wonderfully soft, lovely, delicious folds before thrusting it between them, him groaning as he tastes her so fully and listens to her moans and whimpers. Her opening his legs to him and closing them either around his middle or his helm, making his spike leak pre-fluid.  Just…the image of Y/n opening her legs for him or allowing him to put his servos on her inner thighs and push them apart himself. _Ah, yes…_

 

Megatron half-vents, half-groans. A sizeable dribble of pre-fluid forms on his tip and rolls off, the clear fluid continuing to be pushed out with every pulse of his spark as the mech continues to stroke himself, remembering how it looked and felt like to have Y/n in his arms and on his spike.

 

The young woman pinned under him, taking his spike so well, moaning so sweetly it makes him want to never leave the bed again, everything be damned to the pit. Her on the bed, biting down on a pillow and moaning loudly as he holds her hips up and slams into her willing, wet core, filling it with his spike roughly.  Or his lover riding him, looking down at him in arousal, her tight passage squeezing his spike so perfectly as she lifts herself and then brings her hips down once again.

 

 _“Oh you are just gorgeous…”_ he remembers her breathy whisper and it makes a stifled groan leave him, more fluid escaping his now almost painfully erect spike, his servo working it roughly in an impatient need to overload.

 

Or her chest shuddering against his chassis, fingers hooked between layers of his back armor as she closes her legs around him more tightly, keeping him inside of herself as their overload gets close. Her gasps and breathy moans, her calling him by his designation breathlessly, making his pace become irregular as his frame reacts to her voice, his hips now moving desperately, his mind filled by nothing but the woman under him. Y/n’s whole body tensing up, her gasping and moaning when he bites her shoulder as his intense pleasure overwhelms him, her dragging her nails over his back and her teeth over his neck plates as she follows him into overload.

 

His cooling vents are pushing out hot air while his abdominal plating is impossibly tense, and Megatron grits his sharp dentas with a stifled growl of a moan. The mech stiffens, grasping his swollen spike tightly as hot, clear transfluid spurts out with every spasm in short, powerful bursts. His chassis rises and falls as both his intake and his vents are working on getting the warlord’s frame back to optimal temperature, the mech slowly beginning to return to his senses. The overwhelming sensation of the overload passes soon and Megatron relaxes against the back of his chair, thinking that he did not remember his self-servicing sessions usually being this intense. A small smirk appears on his satisfied faceplate – he already knows why that is the case now, after all.

His optics still closed, he remembers a tired, happy purr-like sound Y/n  would sometimes make after interfacing and how her body feels like when she rests at his side. The warlord sincerely hopes he will get to experience it again once he returns.

 

*******

 

_Year 2, January_

 

 

It’s so good to be back.

It’s so good to have him back.

 

A couple of days after his return, they sit on the couch, Y/n completely bare as she is straddling the mech. It is just like he remembered and the warlord has a faint, satisfied smile on his faceplate while his lover has her hands on his face, gently massaging it with her thumbs and occasionally placing a kiss here or there. They’ve just recently interfaced and are both lazy and content, enjoying the simple pleasure of having each other so close.

Megatron’s digits are scratching her back just like she likes it, sharp digittips dragging up and down her skin with slow, practiced touches. It makes the young woman smile from both how good it feels and how happy she is to be touched by the mech again, to be able to touch him as well. She looks over his relaxed face, his closed optics, his lips that have just enough a smile on them for her to notice…And she just can’t help herself.

“Hmm,” Megatron’s hums, pleased, when Y/n kisses him slowly and sweetly. He kisses her back, one of his servos sliding up her back and into her hair while the other is placed between her shoulder blades, keeping his lover close. Primus, does it feel good to have _this_ again. The lord then kisses Y/n’s cheek, next to her ear and under it, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, relishing the feeling of her soft skin under his lips.

The young woman sighs contently and offers more of her neck to her lover with a smile while her hands caress the back of his helm and his neck, and between his shoulder and chassis armor. She feels him lift his helm and looks down to see calm half-lidded red optics. She can’t help but look back at the mech in adoration, kiss his forehead gently and then kiss him on the lips again. She's just so happy to have him home.

 

*******

 

_Year 2, Early February_

 

There are scarred metal lips touching her neck and hot air breathed onto her skin. Familiar servos stroke her sides and before she is even fully awake, Y/n instinctively presses into the Decepticon lord’s frame more and brings up her hands to touch him, her palms sliding up over his chassis. She is kissed in a way that very quickly wakes her mind up and sends it spiralling into a very particular direction, her chest rising and falling noticeably as Megatron makes sure to leave her breathless before taking his lips off hers. She doesn't know how late or early it is, but it doesn't matter in the slightest. Her arms go around the mech’s neck and the young woman finally opens her eyes, immediately meeting the gaze of intense crimson optics, their glow almost otherworldly in the darkness of the room.

“We made a promise once,” the mech explains, his tone husky, and Y/n is seven different shades of in love and aroused. She smiles, lifting herself up to press against her lover and kiss his cheek and then his lips.

“Glad you’re honouring it,” the young woman murmurs into his neck as she places a kiss there as well. She feels the bed under her back again and feels it well, because now she is pressed into it, Megatron’s hot whispers right above her ear.

“Do you know how difficult it is to stay away when I suddenly come out of recharge only to be met with the sight of you, bare and pressing against me?”

Ah, so that’s what it is. That is true - since Megatron got his holomatter generator upgraded, his first challenge was falling asleep while in his avatar, but his second challenge was getting used to Y/n always being there next to his frame, even while he’s in recharge. Really, the second one was a challenge for Y/n as well, since sometimes staying away and not at least kissing or somehow caressing the sleeping mech turned out to be quite the test of mental fortitude. So she could relate, a lot. And she was flattered, really. A little breathy laugh escapes her as she tries to imagine the mech trying not to get affected, trying not to resort to waking her up and then failing. Meanwhile, Megatron is hotly kissing down her neck and to her chest, his servo reaching up to cup her left breast, his abdominal vents pushing warm air onto her thighs. Oh wow, he is really wound up…and it’s making her very excited very fast.

 

*******

_Year 2, Late February_

 

 

It is bright - he can feel it even through closed optic lids. It is also very soft all around him – a reminder that he is in a human bed right now and not on a berth. His optic lids are heavy, his mind only now starting to very lazily come out of recharge. His chassis rises and falls as the mech cycles air through his frame slowly and allows himself the luxury of taking his time to wake up properly since there are no alarms going off or urgent business to take care of. He is just about to wonder where his lover is and – since they’re in the mansion - whether she is downstairs or somewhere nearby, when a warm, familiar body presses against his side and an affectionate kiss is left on his cheek. His arm immediately closes around the woman’s shoulders to make sure she stays this close.

“Good morning,” he hears Y/n greet him as she keeps her voice pleasantly soft, mindful of his sleepy state. His optics open slowly, lenses adjusting to the abundance of sunlight and then focusing on his lover. The corners of his lips turn upward instinctively and the whites of his optics move slightly up and down as he admires her for the first time this orbital cycle.

“It is,” he agrees, voice still slightly hoarse as his voice box gets back to functioning properly, “Good morning to you as well. Have you been awake long?”

The woman shakes her head slightly and - after Megatron places a servo onto the back of her neck gently - leans back down to receive a kiss on the lips.

“Sleep well?” she asks, slipping her deft hands under the sides of his helm and caressing his face in a way that can only be described as ‘lovingly’. The warlord shuts his optics, enjoying the soothing touches as he gives a nod, “I’m glad.”

His servo drags up and down Y/n’s bare back and the morning feels perfect. Or rather, it will – once he has felt more of those soft lips on his. And so he covers Y/n’s lips with his again and again, feeling a steady, yet persistent warmth spreading through his chassis the more he wakes up and the more he feels his lover press against him. Eventually, however, their lips do part and he watches Y/n lift herself just a bit and look at him, the bright light coming through the windows making her e/c eyes look stunningly vibrant. They take a moment to just look at each other silently before his lover smiles at him gently and lowers herself, placing a kiss under his optic, then under the other, then continuing the symmetrical pattern, touching his faceplate with her lips lightly before moving on to his neck. Her kisses are gentle, but get more playful once he gives her side, hip and thigh an approving, suggestive stroke. He can feel her smiling against his metal as she moves lower and lower down and, as she crawls to between his legs, there is suddenly a blanket thrown over his lower half, making the warlord chuckle in amusement.

“Suddenly embarrassed?”

He can hear a soft laugh from under the blanket.

“Me? No. You lose - open up for me, darling.”

“As far as I am concerned, I just won,” Megatron smirks, complying and doing away with his pelvic armor as well as making his primary interface panel slide open. Come to think of it, since Y/n is already there…

“Oh, thank you _very_ much,” he hears Y/n purr as his secondary panel snaps open as well and he can’t help but smirk at that, his lover’s enthusiasm and desire of him flattering like little else.

 

She takes her time using her mouth and hands on him that morning, giving plenty of attention to all of his interface equipment several times over, making soft, loving, humming sounds against his inner thigh armor, around his spike and into the folds of his valve, leaving no doubt in his mind how much she herself enjoys this. The blanket is eventually discarded and the infatuated look Y/n gives his interface array right after seeing it in a different light almost makes him grab the woman an take her then and there…if she didn’t lean between his legs again before he could do that. After, however, he finally gets his servos on her and returns the favour generously, making his lover writhe under his glossa and even his ‘human’ fingers until she is a trembling, unevenly breathing, completely spent mess in his arms, leaning into him with a shaky exhale as the mech holds her, presses his lower face into her messy hair and closes his optics in satisfaction.

 

What a good morning this is. Even if it’s afternoon already.

 

“Y/n?” the mech calls out quietly, suddenly curious as he remembers something.

“Mhmm?” comes an exhausted, blissful reply that makes the mech's sparkchamber fill up with smug pride. He did good.

“So, if not embarrassment or cold, why the blanket?”

“Oh, that,” delicate shoulders tremble lightly as Y/n giggles.

Megatron lifts an optic ridge as he opens his optics slightly, looking down at the top of his lover’s head.

“Hrm?” he inquires less than eloquently.

“…Your biolights and nodes glow in the dark. I like it a lot,” Y/n chuckles, “I mean, I love to see you in _any_ light, but I just had the sudden urge t- _Hey,_ _don’t you laugh at me-“_

The Decepticon lord lifts one of his servos off the woman to cover his optics, chuckling deeply and Y/n laughs with him.

“ _Fair. Enough._ Heh,” he says finally, shaking his helm, “I suppose I should be glad you enjoy it that much. The feeling is mutual.”

“…..”

“I did not mean me also liking the glow of my equipment,” he deadpans as soon as he hears Y/n taking a breath. The sigh of disappointment that hits his chassis is enough to make him smirk, “You know what I meant.”

“Mhhmm,” the young woman hums, smirking as well before rubbing against his side affectionately, “Good to hear.”

“Have I left any doubts to that? Should I return back down there and make it even clearer, perhaps?”

“Oh no, no, I might just die!...Buuut you _could_ remind me later~”

“I will remember that.”

 

*******

 

_Year 2, Early March_

 

They are in the mansion, in their bedroom, reading up on their own material as the time passes past midnight. Wood crackles quietly in the fireplace and Megatron lifts his gaze from his datapad, his optics looking over the young woman sitting in the armchair in front of him. She is wearing nothing but a long, soft wine-coloured robe and her hair looks completely dry now, quite some time having passed since she returned from taking a shower. The light from the fireplace makes a faint, golden glow flicker on the left side of his lover’s body, especially noticeable as it shines onto h/c stands to the left of her face and onto her exposed left leg that she has over her right one. The mech watches her eyes read over the text on her tablet, his gaze slips lower – down her neck to where her robe is parted just enough for him to see that delicate hollow between her breasts that he knows are so warm and soft. His optics lower some more – past where the robe is tied with a belt made of the same material as the robe and to where the robe starts to part, exposing Y/n’s knees and lower legs.

“Fusion cannons.”

His optics snap back up for him to realise that his lover is looking at him with a knowing, amused little smile.

“In case you were wondering what I am reading about right now,” she says smoothly, placing her elbow on the armrest, leaning to the side and putting her head onto her hand.

“Are you now?” the warlord inquires, his lover’s smug, playful expression tugging at all the right strings of his mind and interface array. But it also makes him want to replace that smugness with a different sort of expression.

“Mmhm. Just began, though, finished some pre-war article about coolant assemblies about five minutes ago,” the young woman tells him as she leans to the side, takes a sizeable piece of firewood and throws it into the fire, making the already roaring flame grow even more.

“Well aren’t you studious tonight,” the mech lifts an optic ridge and smirks, “Do not let me distract you, then. Do continue reading. I have a request, however.”

“I’m listening,” Y/n replies, her e/c eyes curious as she leans back in her chair and changes the leg that is placed on top of the other. How he likes watching those legs move…Is she deliberately teasing him? If yes, she may just be getting more than she might be expecting from her light-hearted flirting.

“Read it aloud,” Megatron asks her, his optics becoming deceptively lazy, “I wish to hear your voice.”

 

He wishes to hear it a lot.

 

“I imagine you’d know more about fusion cannons than most,” the proxy gives a short, soft chuckle, “It’s just an introductory text to a larger medical article about properly treating a bot when the part of them that is damaged has a fusion cannon attached to it.”

“Are there that many of us?” the warlord asks calmly, already knowing that there is not.

“No, this work was written before the war,” Y/n explains with a little shake of her head, “The doctor is mostly referring to military personnel who were injured while testing out new fusion-based weapons.”

“Ah,” the mech nods, optics staying focused on his lover, “Will you indulge me, then?”

The young woman looks over his face, e/c eyes calm yet holding sparks of curiosity in them as she no doubt wonders whether he is up to something. Finally, she smiles and gives a small, slow shrug.

“Sure. Don’t you dare make fun of my Neocybex, though.”

“Have I ever?...You do have a very charming accent, though,” the warlord shares, raising an optic ridge with an approving smile. This was very true – while being able to both understand and quickly learn the language, Y/n retained a very specific accent that didn’t affect the clarity of her pronunciation but did give away her organic nature.

“Well _some_ of us do not have metal voice boxes,” the young woman smirks, but then offers him a warm, grateful smile that makes his spark thrum inside its chamber fondly, “But thank you for the compliment.”

 

Megatron nods slowly and Y/n lowers her gaze, holding her tablet in one hand while the other rests on her lap.

 

“…It is theorized that larger-scale fusion cannons can potentially be reconfigured to tap into interdimensional power sources to blast through almost any form of armor-plating. A recent experiment conducted in Crystal City showed that a defensive fusion cannon is able to contain anything within firing range-trajectory in a zero-gravity energy field for a short while before causing the objects affected to both implode and explode, collapsing the matter into a denser form and forcefully expanding it outwards. However, that is mentioned here simply to show an example of how extensively modifiable this type of weaponry can be and, by extension, how many different types of damage it can cause. The fusion cannons this study will be examining are those of a smaller scale, specifically those mounted on frames for military use…”

The mech simply listens for a while, enjoying the sound of his lover’s voice and how it sounds as she reads in his native language. She reads about power outputs and potential dangers, about scientists and tests, most common injuries and the dangers medics would have to be ready to face when trying to help somebot with a fusion-weapon that could be malfunctioning. He loses track of time, but then Y/n switches which leg she has on top of the other again and he immediately remembers. Ah yes. While she continues to read, the warlord stands up from his chair slowly and walks over to her - the young woman, of course, noticing and pausing her reading to look up at him.

“Please continue,” he tells her casually and, while Y/n does raise an eyebrow in amused curiosity, she complies and does indeed continue.

“And, of course, while security measures need to always be in place, a fusion particle suppressor may not always be on hand to provide optimal safety for medical personnel.”

The mech slowly kneels in front of his lover. Her gaze switches to look at him momentarily, but then returns to her tablet.

“A fusion-based weapon holds tremendous destructive potential and so if it gets damaged to a state that is enough to cause a malfunction that may have lethal consequences not only for the bot it is attached to, but also those around them...”

He reaches out and touches Y/n’s knee, slowly dragging his servo down her lower leg. Her s/c skin is smooth and with a shimmer of gold to it - the light from the fireplace falling onto it.

“”…(e.g. fusion particles becoming unstable while malfunctioning power lines continue charging the weapon).”

His optics look over Y/n’s legs unhurriedly, appreciating the feel and look of them as his servo now travels back up to her knee and stays there for a little while. He hears her read, but the meaning of the words gradually starts to fade to the back of his mind while just the wonderful sounds of cybertronian phrases being spoken in his lover’s voice remain.

“The ethical question of treating a patient that is a probable danger not only to the operating doctor but all bots within the surrounding vicinity is a matter that has been discussed for hundreds and hundreds of vorns, since the dawn of medicine, so I will leave that discussion out of this study.”

Slowly, the mech leans down and presses his lips to her knee, his optics closing as he sighs into her warm skin. A delicate, gentle hand touches the top of his helm and then moves to its side, and the warlord smirks to himself that all of this is almost enough for him to suddenly reconsider what he was about to do and just stay like this.

 

Almost.

 

“In my practice, several steps have to be made before operating on the affected area if that area has a fusion-based weapon and a fusion particle suppressor is not available. The first step is…”

He hears a little sigh as his lover no doubt smiles when he turns his helm and slowly kisses both her palm and the back of her hand.

“…to figure out where the fuel and power lines to the weapons systems of the affected area can be severed. If possible-“

Her hand flinches lightly and he hears notes of playful amusement in Y/n’s voice a moment later when he grazes the side of her hand with his dentas, opening his optics slightly as he does.

“…it is better to sever the local lines in the affected frame part. Refer to sub-article 1.1. for an in-depth description of the procedure. If that is not possible, however, the fuel and power lines will have to be severed directly from the chassis.”

He holds Y/n’s hand in his dentas for a moment before releasing it and putting it onto his helm while he proceeds. Both his servos slide up the young woman’s legs and gently yet firmly make them uncross, putting one leg beside the other. The warlord looks up to see his lover smirking while reading and a smirk of his own spreads on his faceplate as he looks back down and drags his servos up from Y/n’s knees, under her robe and over her thighs before moving back down to her knees, savouring the feeling.

 

“For the purposes of the study, we will take as a given that the chassis of the patient discussed is not damaged and we do not-..”

Y/n breathes in softly when the mech takes her by the knees and slowly parts her legs, then leans into her thigh with a sigh.

“Do continue,” Megatron tells her in Neocybex, not bothering to hide the enjoyment in his voice as he lifts his partner’s legs, dragging her closer to the edge of the chair, and lets them rest between the sharper parts of his shoulder armor while he himself leans down, his optics hungry as the parted sides of Y/n’s robe have now revealed her most intimate parts to him.

“…We will take as a given that the chassis of the patient discussed is not damaged and we do not need to take additional steps to gain a-access to the internal-Ah!...assembly…Mhmm…”

Warmth radiates from her core and he opens his intake, venting deeply and bringing out his glossa before dipping the tip of it shallowly between her folds at the bottom of her slit and dragging it up to her outer node. Immediately after, he gives the soft, sensitive folds a proper long, greedy lick and the reaction Y/n gives him is just beautiful to both hear and feel. The young woman’s back arches and her things tremble but she stubbornly continues, to Megatron’s great approval.

“Refer to sub-article 1.2. for an in-depth description of the procedure. The main thing to remember is…is that fusion weaponry requires massive…oh, _massive_ amounts of energy, so if it is malfunctionMnnGh!”

That was him sucking on her small but oh so sensitive outer node and rolling his glossa over it. Y/n swallows hard and takes a deep breath - he can see how tense her exposed lower abdomen is and it turns him on immensely.

“S-So if it is malfunctioning, disconnecting it from the power source takes priority…”

He eats her out greedily and by no means slowly, getting a lot of entertainment and arousal out of Y/n’s reactions as she tries to continue reading despite her breathing getting heavier and her voice getting husky with pleasure and need. Very possibly no one in history had ever read this article in as hot of a whisper as his lover is doing now, and what an experience it is - an experience for him alone to enjoy. He is as deep in Y/n as his glossa would allow and he presses the tip of said glossa over the top, velvety wall of Y/n’s tight, wet passage when he hears the datapad land onto his empty armchair behind him.

“Oh you are just insufferable,” Y/n chides him, still in his planet’s language, with a breathy half-chuckle half-moan and then presses her thighs tighter to the sides of his helm when the vibrations of his own deep chuckle seem to affect her quite a bit. His lover slides down the chair even more and at this point the mech simply places his servos on her lower back and lifts her lower body higher, providing even more access and even a better angle for someone as tall as him.

“Ah! Megatron…” the woman breathes out his designation sweetly and he could just kiss her right now…He will later, however, he thinks as he thrusts his glossa between her folds at a pace that makes Y/n squirm and writhe so very deliciously. His spike is already out of his interface array and fully pressurised, pressing insistently against his still closed pelvic plating, the tip smearing pre-fluid over the inside of it. He dismisses it, however, instead devouring her even more fervently, bobbing his helm, thrusting his glossa into her, groaning at her taste that drives him mad.

His Y/n overloads soon, her whole body tense and trembling and perfect in his servos, a long, sweet moan leaving her as he tastes her release on his glossa as his own spike is painfully erect and pressed between his interface array and his pelvic armor. The mech lowers his heavily breathing darling to sit in the chair again and she leans into the back of the armchair with a sigh, eyes closed as he takes her legs off his shoulders. He stays on his knee, looking over Y/n as her eyelashes flutter and her eyes open, focusing on him. She smiles at him, her expression somewhere between still high on pleasure and mischievous while her hands fall to her belt and undo the knot on it. The warlord watches her slip out of her robe as she leans forward and the moment her arms are around his neck, her bare chest is pressed against his chassis and her lips are on his, he groans quietly into the kiss, his frame both very responsive to his partner’s closeness and tense with built-up charge. He hears Y/n hum into his audial, obviously knowing of his state. That is enough to be the last straw - he turns them around and presses her into the rug as his pelvic armor transforms out of the way. The mech’s sigh is almost a hiss when his hot, heavy spike drags over the inner side of his lover’s thigh.

“You’re mine,” he reminds her as he stares into her eyes, and he can see how both his words and him still speaking in his native tongue makes his lover’s eyes shine, making his optics narrow in satisfaction and lust, “Mine. My Y/n...”

His lips are on her neck while his servos are already on her hips, lifting them up as the woman so helpfully spreads her legs while her hands are all over his neck, shoulders and chassis. He lines himself up with her slit and fills her in one powerful thrust, making both of them moan loudly and making Y/n hold onto his shoulder plating as he starts moving immediately, the lubrication from Y/n’s recent release and his own abundance of gathered pre-fluid aiding in that splendidly. He whispers, moans and growls praises into her skin, still in Neocybex, and everything else they say to each other that night is still in his language, bringing a very special feeling to it that makes the Energon in his fuel lines boil and his spark respond at a very base, very primal level. Their stamina is enough for them to refill the fireplace with firewood at least three times and being there to witness the last embers going dark before finally having enough of each other…for now, at least.

 

*******

 

_Year 2, Late March_

 

 

The purple and red lights of the Nemesis’s command bridge glow in the darkness. There is no mech here except for Megatron, who sits on his throne and looks down into the vastness of space through the observation screen, stars glimmering in the blackness. The Decepticon lord hears a sound that does not belong here, on this deck – a sound of a wooden door opening, followed by a moment of silence. After that, the mech smirks in satisfaction as his lover appears before him, walking towards his throne and looking around in curiosity now that the bridge is scaled down and probably more easily observable.

 

“Well this is interesting,” Y/n smiles, the heels of her shoes hitting the metal floor as she approaches his throne, “How many holo-projectors did you have to use to make it this realistic?”

“…Enough,” the mech replies, placing his elbow joint onto the armrest of his throne and looking over the young woman as he supports his helm with his servo, “Now, why don’t you take your usual place?”

The digittips of his other servo tap on the other armrest, the Decepticon lord’s optics expecting as he watches the proxy. She catches on quickly, raising an eyebrow and smirking as she comes a little bit closer to him, hips swaying alluringly.

“Would you like me to take off my clothes first, my lord?” Y/n asks smoothly, lifting her hand to drag it over her partially exposed collarbone before her fingers slip under the fabric of her grey cashmere dress and push it away, revealing first the strap of her bra, then her shoulder to him slowly.

“Yes,” he replies with an approving smirk, watching his lover give him a playful smile. She slowly reaches to her side and, while one of her hands is holding onto the skirt of her dress, the other opens the zipper. Y/n then puts her right hand on the short sleeve over her left shoulder, sliding it lower down her left arm before doing the same from the other side, letting the dress fall to her feet.

“What do we have here?” Megatron asks, a pleased smile appearing on his faceplate, showing of his dentas as he looks over his lover’s lace and silk covered body. A full set of black lingerie, just for him? He _very much_ appreciated the gesture.

“I knew you would be home,” Y/n gives him a flirtatious smile as she slips a thumb under her garter belt and drags it just under the hem before letting it snap back into place quietly, “Just didn’t know I would be granted an audience on the bridge.”

“I reconsidered,” the mech informs her after a moment of looking her over, “I would have you sitting not here…but here.”

 

His servo switches from resting on the armrest to being placed on his lap and the smug look Y/n gives him makes him play into this little game a little more.

 

“ _Now,_ Y/n. Do not make me wait,” he orders her sternly, optics looking over his lover’s body impatiently.

“Of course, my lord,” the young woman says quietly, a playful smile adorning her face as she steps over her dress and walks over to him unhurriedly.

 

There was a cpmpletely different feeling being called ‘my lord’ when it came to Y/n. Unlike everyone else, it was used not to accentuate that he was the Decepticon sovereign and supreme commander, but that he was _her_ lord – she only began using the exact words as a term of playful endearment and so it stayed to this day. Megatron would not be able to say that he disliked this, at all.

 

His lover comes up to him, turning around and offering him quite the view of her backside before she sits down on his throne between his legs,  her back pressing against his chassis as she leans back into him, the back of her head brushing against the lower part of his Decepticon insignia.

“Quite the view,” she tells him, looking over the bridge and through the observational screen.

“I agree,” the mech replies, looking down at the woman as his servos come up to cup her breasts, only a thin layer of lace separating his metal and her skin. Y/n takes a deep, quiet breath as he squeezes the soft, warm flesh and lowers his helm to breathe onto the skin of her neck, then give it a gentle nip.

“Legs over my knees,” he orders huskily, his lips next to her ear, then gives her another nip – this time on the shoulder – once she does what she says...but does so wordlessly.

“Excellent. But what do you say?”

When he hears a soft chuckle, his dentas immediately bite down on her shoulder more forcefully and his servos squeeze her breasts stronger as (questionable) punishment.

“Ah… _Yes, my lord._ ”

Out of the corner of his optic, he can see Y/n smiling a wide, pleased smile and that, coupled with her aroused voice, makes his own lust skyrocket. He releases one of Y/n’s breasts and slides his servo down to between her thighs, rubbing the sensitive areas through the thin fabric, making the young woman slowly throw her head back against his chassis and press her chest into his other servo. She turns her head to look up at him, reaches up and takes his helm into her hands, and they admire each other for a moment, both smiling in satisfaction before Megatron gladly leans down to cover his lady's lips with his.

 

Ah yes, they will have a lot of fun here tonight…

 

 ******* _  
_

_Year 2, April_

 

 

The room is bright and warm, it smells of flowers and heated metal and ozone and something indescribably, unmistakably Megatron. Y/n breathes heavily, her vision still hazy after just recently climaxing, her hands still trembling as she reaches out and hugs the mech around the neck, keeping him close. The warlord leans into her more and the feel of his weight pressing into her fills her with the sense of happiness so overwhelming, she has to take a deep, shaky breath before she manages to speak:

“I love you,” she tells him quietly, voice filled with affection as she nuzzles his neck. She’s told him she loved him this morning, after he told her how much exactly he cared or her. She whispered that she loved him later when kisses were becoming not enough for both of them. She gasped and moaned and almost cried the words in combination with his name when he was inside her, his hips slamming into her as his servos were over her hands on the bed, digits and fingers intertwined as she and Megatron got completely, hopelessly lost in each other, just loving the frag out of each other until both of them cried out from overwhelming pleasure washing over them. And just now…now, as they come down from their high, she just can’t help but say it again. He needs to hear it, she thinks. She needs him to hear it, she knows.

It’s so liberating to be able to tell him how she feels, even if they’ve been showing it through everything but words. Even so, there was this…undisputable clarity now. A clarity that made a heady, wonderful feeling take over her whole being. She just needs him to know, to hear it said in every tone of her voice. If he has to leave her soon, she needs him to remember it well. She feels a kiss pressed to the nook of her neck and then hears a quiet murmur her foggy brain manages to interpret as the same confession, but only in Neocybex. Her heart races and she repeats the words to the mech quietly. It’s then that he lifts himself up on his elbows and looks down at her, crimson optics gazing into her e/c eyes with a look that is happy, but also somehow almost sad as well.

“Again,” he asks, just above a whisper as a smile appears on his face - a smile that is kind, so kind it makes Y/n’s heart swell almost painfully. She absolutely melts, very conscious of the fact that she hasn’t felt anything even remotely as intense as this ever before in her life, the dangerously strong emotion burrowing deep, deep into her soul and leaving her completely open to this mech above her. Even the smile she offers her beloved lord feels vulnerable in how openly and absolutely loving it is and as she puts her hands on the sides of his face, thumbs swiping over his cheek plates gently, she tells him what he wishes to hear:

_“I love you, my Megatron.”_

The whites of the mechs optics move from her eyes to her lips and back again, and his expression seems to be that of someone momentarily entranced before it brightens, allowing Y/n to see her lover’s half-lidded, loving optics before he leans down. He brushes his face over her neck like some sort of giant metal cat as he murmurs “Again” and Y/n runs her hands over the back of his helm and neck as heartfelt confessions fall from her lips. She practiced uttering the phase so much in secret, wondering if she’d ever get to say it to Megatron and now she feels the mech sigh into her neck contently as he listens to it, his shoulders relaxed and everything about him so incredibly peaceful.

_"I love you, my Y/n.”_

 

*******

_Year 2, The 1 st of May_

 

“Ah…mhh..”

“Hah..Nhgr….

They both breathe heavily as overload hits them, running through their bodies and making them hold onto each other tightly. Megatron is sitting on the bed, his servos on Y/n’s hip and the back of her neck while Y/n is straddling him, her hands on the plating between his shoulder armor and collar plates. The mech’s spike is still throbbing deep inside her, spurting transfluid into her clenching core and both of them moan softly as their foreheads press together, their breaths mixing as eyes and optics are closed in pleasure and exhaustion. The mech lifts her off his spike eventually and places her to sit practically in the same spot, and they stay like that for a while, Y/n’s breathing calming down while Megatron’s vents eventually manage to cool down his frame sufficiently and deactivate. Even still, they remain in the same position, seeming like they had fallen asleep when they just simply do not want to acknowledge reality yet since that would mean acknowledging that they need to part very soon. Today. While they stay like this, however, everything is perfect.

Eventually, Megatron opens his optics and leans back a bit, still keeping his servo on the back of his lover’s neck, his thumb digit brushing over her skin – a small, yet genuine show of affection.  It is obvious he does not want to part - it is in the lowered corners of his lips, in how his optics look over his Y/n’s face, his gaze having a grim heaviness to it among all the affection. She probably senses something is wrong, he thinks, that he is uneasy, but there are enough reasons for him to be uneasy aside from the _actual ones_ Y/n’s is oblivious of. For now. He closes his optics again under the careful gaze of her e/c eyes and sighs slowly, after that leaning forward and finding her lips with his. His lover leans into him, her arms closing around his neck and the side of her head pressing against the side of his helm after the kiss, and he takes a moment to savour this.

“I am going to miss you _so much_ ,” Y/n whispers as she savours all this – his lips, his servos on her, his warm chassis against her body, his spark pulsing against her heart. Her lips tremble and she looks down to Megatron’s shoulder as she blinks a couple of times, suddenly feeling a huge wave of emotion wash over her, very nearly making her tear up. Her eyes feeling hot and itchy, she chuckles softly in slight embarrassment as she’s a little lost as to what to do with herself. The proxy thought this feeling would come at some point _after_ the Decepticon lord already left. Or, rather, she hoped it would.

He opens his optics and puts his servos on his lover’s bare, delicate shoulders, wordlessly urging her to lean back a bit and look at him. He is met with the sight of the young woman smiling at him sadly and he feels her hands tremble as they run over his collar plating lovingly - it tears his spark apart as much as it makes him fully realise how close Y/n had let him to herself. He has often been thinking and overthinking how close he should or should not have let Y/n get to him, but in moments like these is when the mech realises how much he affects her.

“Y/n,” he calls out quietly and his beloved closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath before looking back at him with a small reassuring smile.

“I’m fine. Just…you know.”

Megatron’s servo slides over her shoulder and her neck and settles on her cheek, those long sharp digits she loves burying into her h/c strands.

“I will miss you as well,” he tells her, making her heart both swell and then immediately drown in painful longing. At least…At least everything important has been said. At least both of them _know._ Sentimental as it is, that thought is what keeps tears from appearing in her eyes.

Y/n turns her head, looks down at his servo and nuzzles it with a sigh that is wistful enough to make him want to apologize for leaving, despite both of them knowing that there is no other way. Optics half-lidded, Megatron looks down as he takes her hands into his much larger servos, lifts them and kisses the backs of both her hands slowly.

 

They both commit this quiet moment to memory.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So…yeah? :D 
> 
> Yup. Plot next chapter. 
> 
> Also, I don’t usually edit artworks, cause it’s kind of…eh? But I just couldn’t help myself in this case, because I had a really stupid idea and I wanted to share it with you guys. 
> 
> Here it is: https://ibb.co/frwqmJ  
> The original (I sincerely hope the artist forgives me): https://pp.vk.me/c605116/v605116160/583d/4EJHQoDeBLs.jpg


	57. Noche Roja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Megatron away, Y/n gets used to not having him around and keeps busy with both personal affairs and her new responsibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! You don't have to wait a month for an update! :D

 

“We say goodbye a lot recently, huh?” Y/n very quietly chuckles as she stands on her knees atop her lover’s lap and touches her forehead to his gently, her hands on both sides of his helm.

“Indeed,” Megatron says as his crimson optics close almost completely and his large servos rest on her waist, their weight familiar and reassuring.

 

It is the 1st of May and the time is 10:47 - almost time for the Deception lord to leave Earth once again, this time to search for his scattered army. They don’t have much time, not at all – the Thanatos departs at 12:00, after all. So they sit here, in the silence of Y/n’s cabin, enjoying their last moments together in what would most probably be more than two years. The young woman looks over the mech’s expression and it is grim as if a dark shadow has fallen over her beloved lord’s face. It's no secret to Y/n that he does not leave the Nemesis easily this time but even though letting him go feels like slowly ripping out her heart, showing that now wouldn’t change anything for the better. Lovingly, she wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him, her heart against his spark.

“Everything will be fine. You just be careful out there, we’ll be here when you return,” Y/n tells him. His reply comes in the form of her feeling sharp digits run through her hair and a strong metal arm hold her tightly to the former gladiator’s frame. As she sighs and looks to the side, she spots something Megatron gave her this morning – a metal cuff bracelet that’s just a bit more than two centimetres wide, its color just a shade lighter than that of Megatron’s armor and its surface covered in engravings similar to the pattern of how the outer layer of his back armor fits together. It seems like a simple parting gift, but it is anything but. Sighing again, Y/n closes her eyes and rubs the side of her head against the side of Megatron’s helm.

It’s not easy to say goodbye, both because Y/n knows how worried she’ll be and because of how April felt like a honeymoon of sorts after that late March morning when Megatron told her he loved her. Still, if that’s what has to be done in order to get the Autobots off her planet and win the war – that is how it has to be.

Soon the warlord leans back and one of his servos takes her gently by the chin, his optics looking over her face with almost alarming seriousness before he kisses her - slowly and deeply, and so perfectly it makes her heart ache.

 

It’s time to say goodbye now.

 

*******

 

 

She is present for Megatron’s departure from the Nemesis this time, watching the Decepticon lord walk onto the Thanatos over the lowered ramp, his heavy pedesteps echoing off the starship hangar’s walls. The young woman hovers next to Soundwave, they both look on as the steel-coloured mech turns and looks down at everyone seeing him off as they continue to kneel - and, in Y/n's case, bow. His face is stern, the gaze of his red optics slowly travelling from soldier to soldier, to Breakdown, to Knockout, to Starscream, to Soundwave, to Y/n…

They lock eyes and Y/n gives a little nod that she knows Megatron notices.

…to soldier, to soldier.

 

The Thanatos’s ramp starts to rise. The Decepticon lord walks off deeper into the vessel while everyone in the hangar stands up and hurries out, not wanting to be present in the room when the starship’s engines fully activate. Y/n watches through the observation window as the hatch of the hangar opens and the air around the dark-coloured spacecraft ripples, the walls vibrating when the engines are brought out of standby mode. The rails the Thanatos is fastened to begin glowing blue, brighter and brighter as they gather up energy and become hotter and hotter. Then, suddenly, the roar of engines gets louder, there is a sound of giant metal locks releasing and the starship is launched from the Nemesis. Y/n watches it disappear from view and then turns to face Soundwave who looks back at her as well and displays the trajectory of the Thanatos’s ascent on his mask. The young woman nods in gratitude and offers the communications officer a brief smile.

 

“Now,” they hear Starscream’s voice and turn to see the seeker-in-command speaking to the others present, “Megatron has left the ship and I am officially in charge now. Return to your duties, no use lingering here.”

The soldiers, as well as Knockout and Breakdown, walk off back to their stations and the silver-framed mech turns his attention towards both Soundwave and Y/n.

“Soundwave, I expect you to be as efficient under my command as under Lord Megatron’s,” the seeker reminds with his helm tilted up – if he had a nose, it would be pointing towards the ceiling right about now. Then, the acting commander turns his attention to the proxy.

“Y/n,” he says with a neutral voice, one optic ridge raised.

“Starscream,” Y/n mirrors the voice, her expression calm. The winged mech looks her over, then straightens his back and walks past Soundwave, heel struts clanking on the metal floor.

“Walk with me, Y/n,” the seeker commander tells her and Y/n shares a quick look with the spymaster, after that giving a small shrug and flying after Starscream.

“Something the matter?” she asks as they slowly make their way away from the Thanatos’s empty hangar – Starscream on foot and her flying beside him. To their left are the observation windows and Y/n can see them approaching the one which shows Thunder Arrow – Knockout’s and Breakdown’s ship.

“I am aware you think me less qualified to lead than Megatron,” the seeker says thoughtfully, his optics on the windows instead of on her, “And while I am no Megatron, I'm sure you’ll see that in some ways my leadership will be even more beneficial to you.”

 

Beneficial? _Starscream?_

“How so, Starscream?” Y/n asks, cautious of sounding too curious, her gaze steady as the mech finally looks at her, a small, smug smile appearing on his faceplate. The Thanatos isn't even past Earth's moon yet and he's already trying to pull something?

“Well, for one, unlike Megatron I am ready to let you take a more active part in the war…provided you do not make me regret it.”

Y/n’s right eyebrow lifts slightly.

“Depends. What do you mean by ‘more active’?”

“Well I’m not sending you into battle, _obviously,_ ” Starscream rolls his optics, then mutters, “Megatron would have my helm if I damaged his pet, after all…”

“I’m still here,” Y/n reminds with an unimpressed expression, thus far convinced that the seeker is just messing with her. Said seeker looks back at her, optics narrowing slightly.

“Yes…yes you are. Anyway, Y/n, how would you like to help the Decepticon cause by scouting for Energon in places where it's more inconvenient for us?”

 

Oh, well this is interesting.

 

“You get to show everyone you can be helpful in more ways than acting as the medic’s mini-con or our master’s pet and I get to raise productivity in Energon recovery while Lord Megatron is away. Seems fair?” the seeker smirks as he looks at her, confident that his offer is tempting. And it is. Even if Y/n can’t bring herself to believe that that’s all that there is to Starscream’s proposition.

“That _does_ sound reasonable,” Y/n says thoughtfully, trying to figure out where the catch is, “We would have to think on a plan of retreat if I run into scouting Autobots.”

“Of course.”

“And have Soundwave check the areas via satellite imaging before I go there.”

“Certainly,” the commander clasps his long-digited servos behind his back, the smirk lingering on his face, “We wouldn’t want any harm coming to you, after all. But the places I will be sending you to are low to middle interest targets - it’s possible that you won’t encounter any Autobots at all.”

Y/n looks to the window, catching a glimpse of Thunder Arrow before they continue on. This is a good deal. If this was Megatron or Soundwave offering, she would have agreed immediately. With Starscream, however…was he trying to deliberately put her into the Autobots’ path? Or hoping she would get caught in an accident in some mine? Or would he _cause_ the accident? It is true that since the Alabama mine the seeker hasn’t been acting too suspiciously, but cybertronians lived for millions of years – surely Starscream could have just waited until an opportunity like this presented itself.

“I wish we were on better standing so I could be sure you are not doing this for some other reason,” the young woman tells the acting commander cooly, watching his reaction carefully from behind a mask of near-indifference. Starscream rolls his optics again, this time with an offended huff.

“We made a deal, human, _remember?_   Phah! Whether you believe me or not – that doesn’t concern me in the slightest. What I want is a lengthy list of discovered and mined Energon storages and a fully-stocked ship by the time Lord Megatron returns with reinforcements. I may get in trouble for involving you, but if you're a more valuable asset to the Decepticons by the time he comes back, I’m willing to bet he’ll overlook my little initiative. Especially if you confirm that your activities were your own choice. And, for that to happen, I need you to stay alive until our lord returns. Logical, isn’t it?”

They pass the hangar in which the Empirion is docked. Starscream stops talking for a moment, both of them looking over the silvery grey starship as they pass the window. Must be some feeling, to have his personal starship of four+ million years within reach but non-operational, even if it's because of the seeker's own non-trustworthiness. From the corner of her eye, Y/n can see the seeker frown momentarily, but when she turns to face him his expression is that of proud indifference.

“You can refuse if you think it’s not something you’re willing to do, of course,” the mech shrugs, “Whenever you’re ready to give me an answer, contact me through the comm line.”

Y/n nods, deciding that it would be wise to think this over for a while. They reach the end of the hall and Starscream begins to walk off in the direction of the command bridge.

“Dismissed…or whatever you say to civilians,” he says, his interest in her already completely lost. Y/n looks over the seeker's back and wings for a moment before flying into the opposite direction, towards her cabin. She’ll probably put on her flight suit and head towards one of the hatches leading out of the ship. She would consult Soundwave and Knockout on the whole scouting thing later, but at first she has to figure out what she herself thinks on the matter. Flying around while doing so seems like a good idea.

Looking around and listening closely, making sure no one is nearby, the young woman looks down and raises her hands to her chest, her left hand closing around her right wrist, over the cuff bracelet. She gives the metal a little rub.

 

_Ta-thum…Ta-thum…Ta-thum…_

A steady pulse against her skin makes her sigh quietly in relief, her nervousness taking a step back.

 

 

_“It hasn’t escaped my attention how much my travels worried you last time,” her lover told her as he held her hand in his large servo, his other one slowly putting the bracelet onto her wrist while they sat on the bed on the morning of the mech’s departure, “This is a special kind of metal. I had its nanoparticles synched to those of my sparkchamber. You will be able to always make sure that I am well.”_

_Y/n stared at the bracelet, not believing that something this small would be able to tell her Megatron was alive despite the incredible distances of space._

_“How does it work?” she asked, looking up at the lord with curiosity._

_“It’s programmed to respond to your touch,” he explained, “Rub it a few times.”_

_Carefully, Y/n placed the middle and index fingers of her left hand onto the metal and gave it a rub. When she felt a familiar sparkbeat against the sensitive skin of her wrist, she breathed out in relief, placing her left hand onto the center of Megatron’s chassis and listening closely, just enjoying the way the pulses were indeed synched. This would make waiting for him **so** much easier._

_“Thank you,” she said quietly, her hand dragging up the mech’s metal and getting under his helm, resting on his cheek as she smiled lovingly. The Decepticon lord nodded, the gaze of his optics heavy before he closed them and turned his helm, his scarred lips touching Y/n’s palm._

 

 

*******

 

 

“I knew you would come to see reason,” Starscream smiles, his optics half-closing in satisfaction as he looks at the human before him. It’s the 4th of May and they accidentally met on the landing deck of the Nemesis – Starscream having just come back from a flight and Y/n having come out to take one. Them meeting like this was fortunate, though, since it offered Y/n the opportunity to inform the mech of her decision without the pain of having to specifically seek him out or schedule a meeting.

“As long as you agree to keep your word,” the young woman reminds with a note of sternness. She doesn’t trust that Starscream has no hidden motive or that at some point he won’t try to pull something, but this little song & dance of them acting civil towards each other was at least _some_ indication of the mech intending to play nice…for now.

“Of course. We already had this talk, didn’t we?” Starscream puts a servo on his hip, his other servo making a random gesture of dismissal, “You stay safe. I get good results. When Lord Megatron returns, you tell him we’re the best of friends.”

“No, we’re not,” Y/n can’t help but smirk at that last absurd statement and there’s a very brief moment of understanding between them as the seeker smirks as well.

“No, we’re not. But you get the point.”

 

It’s a bit weird seeing Starscream outside, in bright early noon sunlight. The silver metal of his frame is so much lighter in shade when not framed by the dark halls of the Nemesis and he seems smaller somehow, compared to the vast, endless azure sky that stretches above them and around them up to where the horizon begins. Sunshine runs along the edges of his wings and shines on his nicely-polished metal, and Y/n briefly thinks to herself that she sees why Knockout once told her under the oath of secrecy that he admires the seeker commander’s finish, despite the latter’s personality.

The seeker looks over her as well for a moment, the task made easier by the fact that she is hovering at his optic-level. He seems mostly curious about her flight-suit, though. His curiosity in her doesn’t last long, however, because he begins to talk again:

“I will send you the relevant data today and you are expected to start your task at 07:00 next orbital cycle,” the mech tells her, his optics narrowing as he answers a question she was about to ask, “No, I am not wasting my or anybot else's time to hold you by the servo and explain the obvious. Knockout mentioned you were smart, so if you _supposedly_ are _,_ you should be able to handle something as simple as scouting for resources. You may take as long as you need on your scouting since I need you to do your job _properly._ When you are certain of your findings or lack thereof, you are to report to me directly – both verbally and in written form. Or will that be too difficult for you? Having second thoughts?”

He looks at her almost mockingly and Y/n can see how much he is enjoying himself - not only to be taking command of Megatron’s ship but also using Y/n, Megatron’s 'human pet', for his own needs.

“Not at all,” the proxy says calmly, nodding in acceptance, “Anything else?”

The fun drains a little from the seeker’s expression when he sees no entertaining reaction from her. Then, he replies:

“You will send me a request for a meeting and I will schedule it whenever I am free to see you. Do not barge onto the bridge and expect me to drop everything and give you attention.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to, actually,” the young woman says, her eyebrows lifting a bit as she looks at the mech with an expression that is enough to tell him that she wasn’t thinking of something that stupid until he himself brought it up.

“Good,” Starscream says, lifting up his chin – his long, long chin – higher, “I will probably end up having to see you in my quarters. I can’t be spending my important time on the bridge debriefing you, so I will have to make time in my personal hours.”

 

‘Poor you,’ Y/n thinks to herself, but stays silent, waiting if the seeker has anything else to say. Preferably, something of importance.

 

The acting commander of the Nemesis looks her over once more, then starts walking off, an unenthusiastic single wave of a servo signalling that she was dismissed.

“Carry on,” she hears his bored voice, her e/c watching him as he walks towards a descending platform.

 

 

_“So it’s settled, then,” Y/n told Soundwave at the end of their lengthy discussion, the dimmed lights of his hab suite making the violet and red lights of the holoscreen of his work station seem even brighter. The spymaster nodded, the light from the screen shining onto the right side of his frame, the mech having turned to face her long ago, when they just started this conversation._

_“Good,” the young woman took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, feeling like a small weight had been lifted off her chest now that she looked at the situation with a certain clarity. The task she was about to undertake would require a lot of patience, but it was also very important._

_Starscream was acting commander – he was in charge of things as long as Megatron was away. Primarily – fighting Autobots and acquiring Energon. Thing was, the one who kept his optic, audial and cameras on the state of things was Soundwave. Technically, Soundwave and Laserbeak. And the spymaster had begun to suspect that, while the Decepticon lord was away, the silver seeker was stashing away Energon for personal use. Not on the ship, but in mines that were ‘stripped clean’ or in places that had so little Energon it wouldn’t even show up on the radars._

_And here Y/n was, looking for smaller, less noticeable Energon storages, reporting to Starscream directly. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe not. Both she and Soundwave knew that Starscream was aware of them often spending time together, so he must have anticipated Y/n telling the communications officer of her new role and her eventual findings. He didn’t mention that she shouldn’t tell anyone anything – of course he didn’t, that would immediately raise questions. But, since he was unaware of Soundwave’s suspicions, he probably thought that acting the way he did just made him look like a resourceful leader. Arrogance was something the seeker had plenty of.  
_

_In any case, it was decided. Starscream may have thought that he was using Y/n to look good and – potentially – for his own profit on the side, but, in reality, the young woman would be working with Soundwave to make sure the seeker was as passionately invested in stocking the Nemesis with fuel as he liked to tell everyone. In truth, knowing that the one she was really working for was Soundwave made the whole thing much more bearable for Y/n. Find more Energon for the Decepticons, keep Soundwave informed on everything to make sure Starscream doesn’t hoard it for himself – two things she was planning to work on while Megatron was away. Seemed like a plan._

 

 

*******

 

 

On the 5th of May the weather is warm and sunny when at 06:30 hours a portal opens high in the sky above one of Japan’s smaller south-western islands. Y/n appears out of it, spreading her wings wide and gliding down somewhat on a warm air current while looking at the view around and below her. A piece of land - a splash of green in the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean’s waters - Miyako Island (or Miyakojima) is one of the Ryukyu Islands – a chain of islands between Japan and Taiwan. Miyakojima itself isn’t the young woman’s destination, though - it is only the largest among the Miyako islands that are located in the area. Y/n’s target lies to the right, farther into the Ocean’s territory, and is a small, unnamed uninhabited island that's overgrown by a lush forest. The proxy lets herself fly there at a leisurely pace for about half an hour while she gathers her thoughts, mentally prepares herself for the possibility of anything happening and reminds herself that initial scans of the area didn’t show any Autobot activity.

 

Once there, she circles the tiny island before quietly landing on the white sand of its beach. She doesn’t fold her wings immediately just in case, instead walking slowly towards the forest, looking and listening closely. Birds chirping, some small breed of monkeys making almost giggling noises, leaves rustling, bees buzzing. A single little crab stops for a moment when they pass each other – elongated black eyes glistening in the sunlight as they look up at her - and then continues walking sideways on his way to water. So far, so good.

The place she was searching for was supposed to be one of the smaller Decepticon Energon deposits – a relatively small stash, really, much more difficult for the enemy to discover and storing much less Energon than a proper mine. If Starscream’s files were to be believed, the Energon was left here recently, about eight thousand years ago – at the same time while the Autobots were also on Earth, busy playing around with human DNA. Since the small storage was a fairly new one, it should be relatively easy to find – it seems Starscream has given her an easier task as her first. A little surprising, but he _did_ want more Energon to be found, after all. Shadows fall onto her as Y/n steps from the beach and into the lush forest, the sand that gave under her feet now replaced by the steadiness of grass-covered earth. The young woman looks ahead of herself – this is a deserted island, there are no man-made paths here, but there are ones that animals made. A small path is spotted nearby – maybe it was made by wild boar, Y/n thinks to herself as she folds her wings, but doesn’t risk taking off her helmet and losing her HUD that constantly shows her data on everything around her. She shouldn’t be worried – this is a very small deposit only Decepticons are aware of, as low-risk as it can be. In theory. Y/n’s been around on the Nemesis for long enough to know that information sometimes ends up in the wrong servos either by the enemy tapping into Decepticon frequencies or by Prime’s highly intelligent calculations. Y/n could hate the leader of the Autobots however much she wanted, but she had time to learn of how smart he was. After all, it took someone of _at least_ Megatron’s intelligence for the war between factions to last this long.

The HUD shows that it’s very warm and humid here, but luckily Y/n’s suit/armor has a cooling system that keeps her focused on the task and not on the temperature. She lets her right arm fall to her side and a hidden compartment on her lower forearm slides open. Something that looks like a thin metal string connecting separate pieces of an oversized segment blade knife dangles off her wrist for a moment, the thin sharp metal reflecting the rays of sun that pass between the leaves. A surge of electricity runs through the string and it retracts, pushing all the blades together and forming a sort of segment blade sword that starts from the slit between armor plates on her forearm and ends about forty centimetres from it. The whole process only takes a second and the girl can’t help but be grateful to Knockout for making the suit for her…even if the doctor could sometimes get carried away while coming up with ideas or while testing new features. This is actually Y/n’s first time using the blade outside of testing and training, she thinks to herself briefly and then effortlessly slashes at the overgrown vines and leaves that won’t let her pass. ‘Knockout is not going to be pleased I used it as a weed-cutter, though,’ the proxy guesses as she smirks to herself.

The last known coordinates of the small stash are shown on her HUD and as the number of meters left to the target gradually reduces as she walks, Y/n's steps grow quieter and both her body’s senses and her suit’s sensors are set to higher alert. When the countdown reaches ‘0’…she is still surrounded by trees and bushes, the only activity being the bumblebees and dragonflies that are flying from flower to flower on a bush next to her. Well, this was to be expected. In eight thousand years, the island was bound to change or move at least a little. The calculations regarding the movement of the continental plate the island stands on were already taken into account before she flew out of the Nemesis, so at least she knew she was on the right island. The direction of this particular plate’s movement is west; its velocity is about eight centimeters a year. So, eight multiplied by eight thousand, then divided by a hundred – and that’s 640 meters that the island has travelled west since the Decepticons buried the Energon here. Still, since that was already accounted for when adjusting the coordinates, now all Y/n can do is search on her own and hope that her suit picks up an Energon signature once she gets close enough.

She ducks under a tree that has fallen and was caught by the vines before reaching the ground, hops over a small trickle of a river and walks around a loud troop of monkeys before she reaches a hill. Y/n doesn’t want to be too optimistic yet, but it sure looks like someone really big put a bunch of rocks on top of each other not unlike a cairn – a pile of stones - marking a grave. Just, well, on a noticeably larger scale. As she looks around and then carefully comes closer, her HUD alerts her that there is Energon nearby. Oh…good, _good._ This is exciting! Still, she has to keep focused. Before she contacts Starscream and tells him her mission was a success, she has to make sure. It's very easy to imagine the seeker mocking her until the end of times if she turned out to be wrong. How can she be wrong if the scanners clearly show that there is Energon here? Y/n isn’t sure – perhaps it's just paranoia or the fear of messing up, or it's the wish to explore by herself before the cybertronians take over the operation.

In any case, the young woman approaches the grass- and moss-covered boulders, the stack so large she has to throw her head back to look at the top of it. It’s about Megatron’s size…Y/n checks - the HUD shows almost eleven meters. She smiles to herself as she watches the crowns of trees brush against the near-top of the pile. The proxy unfolds her wings and takes flight, flying around the stack of boulders like a careful bird before landing on top of it. She then searches for an opening between the large stones and, once one is found, throws a small rock into it. When she makes sure it goes down far enough, she opens one of the hidden armor compartments on her waist, extracting a small capsule-like metal device. Throwing that in as well, she listens to it bounce off the rocks – once, twice, three times, then four…it goes on and on, getting quieter as it hopefully gets closer to what’s buried under the rocks and (most probably) ground. Y/n follows the small probe’s descent via her HUD that tells her that the nearest Energon source is just some thirty meters under the probe right now. Ah, so it _is_ buried! Or…or it _became_ buried over the last 8000 years! There could be more of the pile underground, just like an iceberg.

 

…This turned out to be just like a treasure hunt. Y/n could get used to this.

 

The young woman gets out of immediate view just to be safe and sits in a tree before sending Starscream the results of the scans and her coordinates. And then she waits. She waits…and waits… _Oh that fraggin’ mech-_

Oh, he replied that a team would be deployed soon.

That was actually faster than she thought. Guess the seeker really does take this seriously. At least, seriously enough not to mess with her…for now. The acting commander of the Nemesis tells her to be at the door to his quarters by 20:00 today and Y/n responds affirmatively before deciding to stick around and work on her report. She's also curious to see the miner Vehicons uncover the little secret stash, to see what she found for the Decepticons today.

 

The proxy is surprised when among the ones that were sent down she encounters Neil and Sevny. While the first took command of a small crew of miners and the other established a modest security perimeter, Y/n vacated her tree that had to be uprooted to make more space and hovered near the mining supervisor. The loud cracking of breaking tree trunks and the thundering sound of boulders being thrown around sent flocks of birds from all around the tiny island flying into the air and Y/n watched them circle the island in panic while she wondered if the seeker sent these two over on purpose. As some kind of way to make her trust him more, perhaps? If he did, then it wouldn’t work…but Y/n would gladly act as if it did if it let her work with Vehicons she could actually rely on.  

While watching one of the boulders being pushed off another one, the young woman notices a glint in the sunlight and activates a magnetized homing signal. A moment later, the armor plates on her waist slide to the sides and the probe lands right into its slot before the plates transform back over it. Convenient. She watches the mechs work while following Neil or Sevny around like a mostly silent shadow, curious about their daily work and not distracting them until they spoke to her. In the end, it really was a humongous stack of boulders that just got covered with earth over the thousands of years. They even had to eventually bring the larger machinery down to lift the larger stones – it was interesting to watch both the excavation process and her friends being all serious at work. Finally, they unearthed several large metal containers, not even a speck of rust having appeared on the dark-grey metal after eighty centuries.

“Since they’re already contained, we’ll just scan for possible traps or whatever and then lift it on board, let the storage guys deal with opening it,” Neil explains, sounding happy that he could – was obligated to by the rules, really – let someone else handle part of the job.

“Well, I’d say we did a fine fraggin’ job,” Sevny smirks as he comes up to them from behind, “Now lets get outta here. Y/n, rations at your place tonight?”

“Well aren’t you transparent about wanting to come over,” the girl turns to the side and raises an eyebrow as an amused smile tugs at her lips, “Sure, why not. Approximately after nine, though, I’ll tell you guys in the group chat when Starscream lets me go.”

“You’re being debriefed by the commander? Huuuh good luck with that,” Neil says with sympathy in his voice, “Don’t take anything he says or does close to the spark.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Neil,” Y/n nods, smiling at the mech gratefully, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“The girl’s used to Lord Megatron demanding her presence all the time, she can handle herself,” Sevny tells the mining supervisor with a smirk, “But, _just in case…_ we can still mount the TV onto your roof even if you’re dead, right?”

“Dream on,” Y/n grins, appreciating the soldier’s dark humour and secretly amused at the first part of his sentence. Oh Sevny, if you only knew…

 

*******

 

On the 6th of May Y/n wakes to the sounds of birds singing and leaves rustling outside her window. Right, she ‘bridged to the mansion after hanging out with those of the Vehicons who did not have shifts yesterday evening – that being Sevny, Neil, Kody and Steelstrike. That is, doing that after being debriefed by Starscream. Surprisingly, while the seeker debriefed her and read her report with maximum scrutiny…that was mostly it. It did seem that he was trying to find faults in her structuring her report, but he was unsuccessful in the end – after all, Y/n had enough brains to base her report style on those of Soundwave, the spymaster helpfully sending her a few examples in advance. It was obvious Starscream was hoping to have an opportunity to point out her mistakes, but – at least, this time – he was unsuccessful and just waved her off, telling he had more important things to do than discussing such a laughably easy mission. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mess up enough in the future for the seeker to criticize her to his spark’s content. She’ll make an effort to avoid that at all costs since she knows how disgustingly gloating the mech could be when discussing the failings of others - it’s like his very finish shined brighter in those moments.

 

_“Yes, yes, congratulations...I expect the same results every time,” the silver mech told her as the door leading outside his hab suite opened in front of Y/n._

‘No fucking pressure, right?’ the young woman thinks as she turns onto her belly and hides her hands and forearms under the pillow, her face rubbing against the soft fabric of the pillow cover. She then thinks back to the time after that – those few hours were really nice. They put on the first two Terminator movies, everyone brought their rations, Y/n cooked herself some food. Two jets, two helicopters and a flying human – apparently it was a ‘flyer-only evening’. Bobby and Brushfire also had flying alt modes, of course, but they were busy. Too bad the others couldn't join, too - it was a very relaxed evening yesterday, to the point of Neil and Kody picking out a corner or her room for the mining supervisor to sit in and for the bridge terminal operator to sit back with his back on his partner’s chassis. And to the point of the two others not even mentioning it. All of them enjoyed the action of the movie and laughed about the whole ‘robots taking over humanity’ thing, since _that_ was currently very relevant for Y/n. That she couldn’t argue with, the proxy thought as she laughed as well and tried to wall herself off from the idea of lingering on that thought and just enjoy the good time with her friends. Sometimes a movie is just a movie.

 

Yes, yesterday’s evening was very nice.

 

The young woman turns her head slightly and now only the left half of her face is pressed into the pillow. Her right eye opens and she lazily looks over the large amount of empty space on the bed next to her for a while, nothing but the sound of birds and rustling leaves disturbing the silence.

 

Okay, time to get up now.

 

 

*******

 

 

Y/n stands in one of the CSR rooms, alone in the giant space. It is completely quiet as she thoughtfully stares at the back of her hand that she is currently balancing a spear on. It’s not a holomatter spear generated by the room nor is it the spear Knockout 3D printed for her. This one is new. Perfectly balanced, tied to her DNA and made of the same material cybertronian weapons and armor were made of. Just a bit less than her own wrist in diameter, it immediately adapted to the perfect width for Y/n to hold once she first touched it. Silver in color and covered in an intricate, barely-noticeable pattern of transformation seams, the spear reflects the lights of the room evenly as it rests on the back of her palm under the thoughtful gaze of e/c eyes.

 

This was Megatron’s second gift before he left, described as something ‘simple, but that will serve well’.

 

The young woman makes a circular motion with her wrist and the spear ends up in her hand, her fingers gripping it tightly. Both sharp ends of the spear respond to the same mental wave link Y/n has with her wings and transform to be blunt, now making her hold a staff. Another mental command makes only one end of the weapon sharp, the metal elongating as small metal particles move like some sort of magic grey puzzle. There are a set few things this weapon was programmed to do – Y/n did it herself in the last week while she practiced with the thing. The base form was set – it was a spear, Y/n could change that no more than Knockout could change the form of his Energon prod when he took it out of his sub space and let it transform in his servo. Unlike the doctor’s weapon, however, hers still could change to some degree, the maximum number of alterations the small weapon could comfortably handle being seven, provided they were all on the same level of changing the base form. They weren’t, though, so Y/n ended up with two minor alterations, two medium alterations and one major one that limited her choice of weapon forms. It was fine, though, Y/n was happy with how it turned out.

 

The young woman takes a deep breath and activates a training program, the room filling with holomatter training dummies instantly, three-meter-tall humanoid shapes surrounding her.

 

_“Remember,” the steel coloured mech told her, crimson optics looking into her eyes with deathly seriousness as his large servo covers her hand that holds the new weapon, “I am giving this to you for your protection. This is but a means of your escape. You may slay however many humans, but never engage the Autobots.”_

 

Another deep breath.

Okay then…

Time to get a little better with this comparatively spindle-sized thing that might one day let her escape the clutches of whoever may come after her. Better be a little paranoid than dead.

 

 

*******

 

 

“Y/n!” her friend spots her and comes towards the proxy, a big grin adorning her face. Y/n smiles warmly as well as soon as she lays eyes at the soon-to-be-married young woman and opens her arms as soon as she goes in for a hug.  Funny, she smells just a bit…different, somehow. When Y/n lets go of her friend, her e/c eyes look her over for a second:

“You look wonderful! Dyed your hair recently?”

“I did!” the girl nods excitedly as they begin walking, “I wanted to try it out now, just in case it wouldn’t suit me and I’d have to redo it. You like it?”

“I love it,” the proxy nods as well, still smiling, “If you ask me, it suits you beautifully. Then again, it’s your wedding. Do _you_ like it?”

“I doooo,” the bride says and then giggles, “Get it? Because I’m getting married? ‘I do’? Shush I am allowed to make bad jokes right now ‘kay?”

"You know I love bad jokes,” Y/n chuckles, holding a strand of her hair as the wind picks up. It’s the 22nd of May and the warm late-spring air feels great as it brushes over her skin and brings with it the scent of spring flowers from the park nearby, “You wanna go to the park?”

“Was _just_ thinking about that,” her friend gestures at her expressively as if Y/n was some kind of psychic.

 

They find themselves at a table outside a small French coffee shop and Y/n puts her elbows onto the table and intertwines her fingers as she listens to her friend go on about the wedding – the guests, the food, the music, the weather.

“I just hope it doesn’t rain, Y/n, I wanna have pretty beach wedding photos, Y/nnnnn,” the young woman tells her in a pleading tone as if that depended on the proxy somehow. Her joking demeanor is then replaced by a mischievous smile as she looks Y/n over.

“What?” Y/n asks, lifting her eyebrows slightly as she chuckles, “How can I help you, miss?”

“Soon to be missus, he~ So I have news,” her friend tells her as she leans a bit forward, looking her dead in the eye, “You won’t ever guess.”

Y/n inclines her head a little to show her curiosity and cluelessness, and to urge the woman to continue.

“Sooo….I’m pregnant,” her friend says and then immediately grins from ear to ear as she sees Y/n’s usual relaxed composure break, the proxy's eyes becoming as big as 50 cent coins.

“You wha- I… _wow!”_  

 

It’s obvious that her friend is happy and excited about it, so Y/n stands up and walks around the table, smiling as she says:

“Congratulations, F/n!” she hugs the bride tightly, still not completely believing the news, “Oh wow, you’re going to be a mom. You’ll be a great one, I know it.”

“Well I sure as hell will try,” the other woman giggles, holding the proxy in an embrace for a little longer, “I am terrified, though. Y/n, I have a little person growing inside of me, _what do I do?”_

“Now, now, keep calm,” she chuckles, her voice sympathetic, “Little people grow inside of humans sometimes, it’s perfectly natural, don’t panic.”

 

Funny, she remembers giving this talk to a bunch of terrified Vehicons sometime in the past.

 

Y/n gives the pregnant woman another reassuring squeeze before they return to their chairs.

“Someone’s going to be busy for the next nine…nine months? How far along are you, you’re definitely not showing,” Y/n asks, returning to her previous pose as her e/c eyes watch her friend carefully and warmly.

_I knew you smelled different!_

“Four weeks, actually…” the bride blushes a bit, “Hopefully, it still won’t show in two weeks, I still wanna fit into my dress. Omg, do you have any idea if it will?”

“It won’t, 100%,” Y/n assures, “At least it shouldn’t. They’re really, _really_ tiny for the first 12 weeks.”

“Phew,” her friend sighs in relief, then looks up at her with a chuckle, “I promise I’ll refresh my memory on the ‘how a fetus grows’ lessons from 8th grade, but I just kinda found out yesterday. Been shook ever since.”

“Oh,” Y/n smiles, touched, “Thank you for telling me that soon after finding out, then!”

“Well of course! You’re gonna be Auntie Y/n in 8 months!” the woman grins, reaching out and taking her by the hands as Y/n experiences a momentary, but powerful strike of guilt over potentially not being able to be in her friend’s life as much as she expects, “You’re all calm and collected and stuff and I could reeeeally use more of that while I’m freaking out over the wedding, and then the pregnancy, and then the whole ‘giving birth thing’, and then ‘Oh my god I am a mom _wtf I’m a mess how do I even’-“_

 

Her friend stops talking when Y/n takes her hands into hers and gives them a gentle squeeze, a warm smile playing on the proxy’s lips as her e/c eyes look into those of her friend’s.

 

“You’re going to be fine. You’re going to be a wonderful mom, Matt’s going to be an amazing dad and I – and the other girls, as well as your families – will do what we can whenever you need us.”

“Thanks, Y/n, it’s…that makes me panic a bit less,” the woman across the table says, her shoulders relaxing, “I know you’re real busy now with your new job and all, so I won’t spam you with baby-related stuff... _too_ much? Heh? And, hey, I’ll still have a blast at the wedding even if I won’t be able to drink alcohol, right?”

 _“Absolutely,”_ Y/n nods, letting go of the bride’s hands slowly, “Tell you what, how about both of us binge on all the non-alcoholic drinks we can find and/or mix ourselves?”

“You’d do that for meeee? Aaaaw!”

The Nemesis's resident human nods with a warm smile.

_“Children?” Y/n asked as she half-turned towards her lover, a little surprised._

_“Children,” Megatron repeated himself as he looked through the huge glass window and down from the top floor of the hotel they were currently in. It was the presidential suite located on the top floor and it offered a perfect view of Y/n’s home city – the young woman felt like spending a day watching her home from above. The date was the 10 th of April and the city’s fountains were already sparkling with water and the flowerbeds were full of bright spring flowers. Y/n followed the gaze of the man beside her to spot a woman standing next to a baby stroller and cradling her crying baby to her chest as she tried to calm it down gently. The proxy hummed quietly._

_“You think I want children? Have I ever mentioned I wanted children?” she asked calmly as she looked away from the mother and spotted what seemed to be a grandfather walking together with two grade-school children at his side._

_“Why would you mention such a thing to me in the first place? Humans and cybertronians are not compatible in any way as far as procreation is concerned. I cannot sire your offspring. Cybertronians do not even reproduce that way,” the warlord reminded and Y/n smirked quietly, making him look at her questioningly._

_“I know. I’ve known for longer than we were together, longer than we’ve been on friendly terms even,” the young woman reminded her lover in turn, crossing her arms as she looked from one inhabitant of the city to another thoughtfully, “If that was something that posed a problem for me, I would be less willing to jump into this relationship.”_

_Megatron stayed quiet for a while, then spoke again:_

_"Very well,” he said slowly, “I simply needed your confirmation. This topic slipped my mind completely until today. I forgot this was something organics placed a lot of value in.”_

_“It’s an important thing to discuss for sure,” the proxy nodded in understanding, glancing at her lover, “But I completely forgot about it too, honestly. I assume proxies are able to give birth since I ended up here, after all, but I haven’t thought of myself in that way…There are other things I want from life.”_

_“I was fairly sure that would be your answer,” the man nodded as well, seemingly relieved._

_“Well you do know me well, after all,” Y/n smiled, looking back to the city._

 

_Pregnancy, raising a child…it sounded so alien when applied to her, to how she felt, to her current life, to what she wanted from it – and that’s no matter if she left Earth or not. Bringing children into the world the human way was perfectly fine, Y/n could be excited for people who wanted that and had that, just…let them do that while she did her own thing. She was a cybertronian proxy – if nothing killed her, she potentially had hundreds of years of life before her, after all.  
_

_Still…She considered assuring the lord that, should the Well of All Sparks ever reignite and should he ever want to take in a newly-emerged cybertronian as a protégé/child, she would happily consider the young mech or femme her child, help raise them and love them as such. She stayed quiet, however, suspecting that it was probably a topic best left for long, long after the war was over, since she knew that the last time Megatron sincerely considered someone family and took them under his wing…well, that was someone known as Orion Pax._

 

 

*******

 

 

“Anything else?” Starscream looks up from his datapad as he sits in his chair with his legs crosses, the tip of his pede moving slightly as his optics regard Y/n with little interest, “Personal notes? Local insights?”

It’s the 29th of May and, while this is her 5th successful mission, Y/n still feels somewhat uneasy being in Starscream’s hab suite and being debriefed by the seeker. There was no telling what mood the acting commander of the Nemesis will be when she visits him – sometimes he’s boisterous, sometimes he’s bored, sometimes he tries to mess with her and sometimes he’s just pissy for seemingly no reason. Today, however, he seems to want this to be over fast. Good. Y/n could agree on that.

“If you want to extract the Energon, the best time would be in the summer, when the average temperature is about 0°C,” Y/n suggests as she stands on the seeker’s desk with her arms crossed, “Because in the winter it’s about -40°C on the average.”

“Ugh,” the seeker frowns. It’s a known fact that cybertronians – beings made of living metal – were vulnerable to extremely low temperatures coupled with high humidity. A large warframe like Megatron would be able to withstand the cold for far longer than the average bot, perhaps even go into stasis instead of dying. But Starscream was a seeker – light frame, metal (relatively) sensitive to changes in the air currents and temperatures. And while that made him an extremely gifted flyer, it also meant that the cold affected him a lot more as well. Hence the reaction.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the silver mech says, putting his datapad onto the desk, “Dismissed.”

 

 

The next day Y/n is back in the Arctic, in the area she scouted. There was not a lot of time for sightseeing yesterday and it has been a while since she last groundbridged to the Arctic. The proxy flies around, her small shadow blue against the white snow down below. Sometimes, she spots a polar bear hunting a seal, sometimes there is nothing for kilometres and kilometres. Her HUD would helpfully inform her if there were any humans nearby, but Y/n has already been here yesterday for hours and knows that there are no research or military stations in the area. No active ones, anyway.

 

Five old wooden shacks and some broken down piece of machinery stand in the white desert of the North Pole – a memory of an era long past, when explorers would traverse the ice-cold seas and snowy plains to discover more about the Arctic. Y/n has no idea who built it yet, but she’s curious to find clues that may help her find that out. She lands, the upper layer of fresh, dry snow flying up and swirling in the air around her. Her helmet splits into smaller parts and transforms back into the collar of her armoured suit, the cold air immediately biting at the skin of Y/n’s face as she takes a deep breath. It’s only about -10 °C, so it’s nice and refreshing.

She walks towards the first of the shacks while looking over the others as well. It’s cold and relatively far enough from shore – the perfect conditions for things to be preserved. There is an old, decrepit truck of sorts here, though, so the place couldn’t be _too_ old. The shacks were once painted white and, while most of the paint still remained, time and wind had chipped away at it generously. Every shack is supported from each side by two wooden balks, helping them to stay up despite the strong winds and a long period of abandonment. The windows are boarded up with both wooden shutters and additional boards.

Y/n approaches the nearest little house. Two handles hold a wooden plank in front of the door and Y/n carefully hooks her fingers under the dry, old piece of wood and lifts it, placing it against the side of the small house. The door handle is old and Y/n has to press down onto it enough to worry about breaking it, but then it finally gives - the door swings open with a series of cracking and squeaking sounds. Light spills onto the old rug-covered floors and Y/n walks in, looking around with curiosity. The window is boarded up, so the young woman just leaves the door open - it brightens up the small space plenty. This seems to be a sort of communications center, she thinks as she sees old radio equipment standing on a table. Next to the equipment there’s an ashtray – complete with old, already scentless cigarettes in it. The wooden chair next to the table has an old wool chair cushion – judging by the state of it, the person who worked here spent quite a lot of time sitting down. Though Y/n would have guessed that from the full ashtray and the army of coffee cups littering the table, the black frozen goo inside of them looking ominously.

Shelves stretch along the walls of the entire place, boxes and crates of stuff on them. Taking a look, she discovers that it’s mostly parts for keeping the radio operational. There are a couple of different shelves in the corner, however, next to a small gas stove. There’s mostly old tin coffee cans and bloated cans of fish here. Judging by the brands, this place was Swedish and judging by the manufacture date on the cans, this place was last restocked somewhere between 1947 and 1950. The calendar on the wall has a picture of a pretty pin up lady as well as lets the proxy know a little more - the last crossed out day on it is September the 1st, 1947. The cylinder-shaped tank that should have flammable gas inside is also here, but Y/n decides not to check whether the stove could be used this time, even if her nose doesn’t pick up on any scent of gas leakage here.

The young woman closes the communications shack the same way the former inhabitant did and takes her time exploring the other places. There’s a storage shack, a garage of sorts, an infirmary and a common house where everyone lived. Judging by the number of beds in the shared bedroom, there were no more than 8 people here at one time. Which isn’t surprising, considering how tiny the place was. Everything was dry and well-preserved, but the cold had seeped into every inch of the place, the smell of frozen, old wood and fabric was everywhere. Still, not bad for a place that was last visited seventy years ago.

 

She’s soon back in her mansion, half-lying down on the couch in the sunroom - the small apple tree in full bloom behind her and the warm May wind carrying the scents of the forest through the open double doors in front of her. A teapot of delicious tea stands next to her on her coffee table while Y/n fills out a couple of pages of her pocket-sized notebook, describing where she was and what she found. She couldn’t call it a diary – more of a very condensed summary of information and impressions she’ll be able to later rely on if she wants to tell Megatron about the place once he returns.

 

 

*******

 

 

On the 31th of May Y/n finds herself in the CSR, messing around with Steve, Bobby and Brushfire.

 

“Hah, nope!” she exclaims while dodging Brush’s servo and landing on his shoulder armor. Bobby’s servo connects with where she just was, Y/n already behind his back while the helicopter-alt mode’d mech pushes his friend off himself in frustration.

“Careful, mech!”

“Oh so you can’t take a little itty-bitty slap on the shoulder?”

“Shaddup!”

Y/n chuckles and lets herself immediately drop 5 meters down while Steve’s servos connect above her head.

“Oh _come on!”_ she hears above herself as she flies just above the floor and between her friend’s pedes, then flying back up.

“You and your fraggin’ wings, why do you have to be so tiny?” Bobby complains and Y/n shrugs, a mischievous glint flashing in her eye.  
  
"Don't like my wings? Okay then," she says, promptly flipping in the air and unequipping her wings, launching them at the mech and letting them sprawl across his masked face. She lands on the floor, rolls forward and stands up properly, watching the mech fumble in a panic as something suddenly obstructed his vision.

“Huh, neat trick,” Steve comments while Brushfire tries to calm down Bobby, both of them stomping around making the metal floor under Y/n's feet shake.

“A have a couple,” Y/n smiles, recalling her wings via the device on the back of her neck. The wings demagnetize from the Vehicon’s mask and return to her, locks snapping back into place as they fasten themselves to her suit’s back, “After all, I’m mostly training to be able to get away from Autobots in a variety of different ways.”

“What the frag was that even?!” Bobby demands as he walks over to her, pedes hitting the metal of the floor loudly, “And can you do that again, this time to Steve?”

_“Hey!”_

 

Y/n chuckles, flying back up and continuing to test out some other tricks on her friends until the end of their session in the CSR.

 

 

*******

 

 

“Well _you’re_ looking mysterious. Come on, join us back at the table,” Arthur comes up to her as Y/n stands near the water, small waves quietly washing over her ankles as she holds up her long lilac bridesmaid’s dress. The sun is already gone and twilight has set in, shrouding the beach in shadows and making the nearby banquet room stand out, the yellow light from inside shining onto the sand.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” she tells her childhood friend as she turns around, acting as if she just noticed him approaching, “Just had to take a call.”

“You’re not leaving yet, are you?” the young man looks at her with an almost accusatory look and Y/n smirks, shaking her head.

“Nah, just had to tell the guy that he can’t just rip me out from somewhere just because he suddenly felt like I should do a job for him,” the proxy explains, being as truthful as she can without sounding insane.

“He can go fuck himself, you’re at a wedding,” Arthur says as he crosses his arms and Y/n chuckles.

“Heh, exactly.”

 

The young woman looks over one of her oldest friends, a sort of melancholy feeling flowing into her heart when she thinks that there may come a point when she’ll never see him again. They see each other rarely as is, and that's fine, but to never…never text, never call, never again meet up to catch up and remember the old times…

“Today was nice, wasn’t it?” Y/n smiles, looking from Arthur to the building he came from, the sounds of loud music, laughter and tipsy conversations coming from the banquet hall as the newlyweds and their guests continue to party.

“Today was nice and _tonight_ has just begun, _and you’re missing it_ ,” the guy scolds her with a chuckle as he puts his hands on his hips, suddenly sounding serious, “Come on, let’s go. I need you.”

 

There is a silent pause between them where Y/n looks at her friend expectantly - he then almost immediately loses his composure and grins.

 

“Okay, I need you to help me win at those stupid contests they’re gonna have now that most everyone is sufficiently drunk.”

“Oh nonono, _you know_ how I hate those contests,” the proxy shows him a truly terrified expression to which the young man puts his hands together pleadingly.

“Come on, just one? It’s not even an embarrassing one, you just have to throw those mini-cherry tomatoes into my mouth why I balance on one leg or something. I really want that prize, I’ll even share it, pleeease?”

Arthur gives her the biggest, most sincere puppy eyes he can manage and Y/n seems unshaken for a moment before she finally hangs her head low and sighs in defeat.

 _“Fine._ Since it’s not one of those really embarrassing ones. What’s the prize anyway?”

“Tub of ice cream. Vanilla-Choco-Strawberry.”

“And, just like that, I am completely on board now.”

 

 

A little later, Y/n and Arthur find themselves at the table, eating their well-deserved tub of ice cream, the other guests partying loudly around them.

“This is great,” the guy says after he gulps down another spoonful of chocolaty goodness, “We should do this again soon!”

“Do you mean eat a tub of ice cream or hang out?” the young woman chuckles as she scoops up some vanilla ice cream onto her spoon and tries to get it to her mouth without any of it falling onto the skirt of her dress.

“Both,” Arthur tells her, looking at her with a fire in his eyes that she knows all too well, “Y/n, you in town for the next month still?”

Y/n hums thoughtfully while the ice cream on her spoon melts in her mouth, then takes the spoon out and smiles at her friend.

“I’ll probably be able to stay for the entire summer, save for when I’m briefly away for a day for work,” she says and the guy flashes her a huge grin.

“Perfect! Say what, why don’t we organize a cool summer party, invite a bunch of good people and have ourselves a friggin' great time?”

“If those 'good people' will have at least a few things in common to talk about...because otherwise it could turn out real awkward,” Y/n allows herself a nervous chuckle, “But it could be fun potentially.”

“It’s gonna be real fun! Like, lets rent a house and stuff so everyone has somewhere to crash or change clothes or whatever, but spend time outside. People can swim and play games or bring books with them or something. We can grill some food, make cocktails and make a huuuge bonfire, and gather around it in the evening.”

Her e/c eyes looking over Arthur carefully as she smiles, Y/n thinks to herself that some things don’t really change even after a decade. The young woman nods.

“A bonfire does sound really cool. I’m in if you promise not to fall into it.”

_“It was a long time ago, I was six!”_

 

*******

 

 

“Denied!” Y/n grins in fake bravery as Steve’s servo hits the EM barrier generated by her wings, the bluish transparent sphere around her rippling, but holding. The Vehicon looks over the net-like pattern of the barrier before attempting another strike. It goes about as well as the first one. And this time, Y/n doesn’t flinch inside her suit as much. The proxy looks to the side, where Knockout is standing with a datapad in his servo and taking notes. Black and red optics look up and wink at her and Y/n smiles, reassured despite there being a huge metal fist hitting the barrier that’s 1.5 meters above her head.

"Don't you worry, doll," the Decepticon chief medical officer says smoothly, "Knockout knows how to take care of his little assistant - that field will hold no problemo. Well, unless you go against Megatron or something - absolutely no guarantees there."

"I'll keep that in mind," Y/n smirks, thinking that, of course, Megatron is in a category of his own.

 

A pede comes crashing onto the barrier and the girl jumps visibly, looking back at Steve with huge eyes as the field remains unbroken.

 

"A little warning next time?! Geez, you scared the scrap out of me!"

The Vehicon laughs, probably happy to at last do some damage - even if it was of the non-physical kind.

"Sorry, doll, didn't like you ignoring me," he smirks.

"Okay, Steve - once and for all - only one mech on this ship can call me doll and stay online."

"Yeah well whatcha gonna-"

The sound of Knockout's circular saw makes Steve chuckle nervously and step back, knocking on the barrier in a poor imitation of him being busy with his task while he mumbles:

"Okay-okay, Imeanitwasjustajoke lemme keep all my limbs PrimusDoctorstoplookingatmelikethat..."

 

Y/n looks back at the red mech and they share a smug look before returning their attention to testing out for how long and at what power output the barrier is able to be kept up.

 

 

*******

 

 

 

_Sevny: Hey._

_Hey. Everything okay?_

_Sevny: You still in the medbay?_

_Just finished. Are you hurt?_

_Sevny: Nah. Can I crash at you place when you return?_

_Sure. Where are you now?_

_Sevny: Sitting at your door._

Y/n’s eyebrows go up as she opens the app that shows the camera feed from the door to her room and – sure enough – the mech is there, sitting with his back against the wall next to her door. This doesn’t feel right and Y/n looks over the Vehicon at her door quickly before tapping the screen a couple of times. The camera feed shows the door to her room opening, the mine sentry turning his helm slowly to look at it.

_Come on in, I’ll be there soon._

Sevny looks up into the camera and nods, then gets to his pedes and walks into her room, the door closing behind him. The young woman gets her Energon- and oil-stained jumpsuit off quickly and leaves the medbay in a hurry, feeling that it wasn’t a good reason that brought Sevny to her door so soon after a battle he participated in.

 

…

 

The doors slide open and Y/n flies into her room, immediately spotting Sevny sitting in a corner next to her cabin, his battle mask and a mostly empty cube of unevenly-coloured magenta liquid on the floor beside him. Soldier-made low-quality highgrade. If Starscream caught someone not fully-armoured and drinking while the Nemesis was still on high alert…Gods, it was a good thing Y/n let the mech in.

“Sevny…hey,” the young woman calls out to her friend carefully as she flies up to him, stopping and hovering near his bent knee, the dirt from the battlefield still embedded between his armor plates, “Sevny?”

“Hey there, Y/n,” the soldier greets, his voice incredibly exhausted, “Thanks for letting me in.”

“Sure,” she nods, looking over the mech. His lips are in a frown, his optics dim and looking down either at the floor or at the cube beside him. Before she can ask what’s wrong (even if she suspects she already knows), the mine sentry starts talking:

“So I have this friend, right?...”

Red optics look at her expectantly and the proxy nods, letting the soldier know she’s listening.

“So I have this friend. You don’t know him. He’s kind of an afthole. Like, an afthole to other soldiers. Humans…humans 'are disgusting squishy things Earth has too much of'. So, y’know, never really bring the guy over here. He doesn’t like you being around anyway.”

Y/n nods again slowly, e/c eyes studying her friend’s scarred face carefully to read his emotional state. It’s not good. He’s clearly drunk, frustrated and defeated.

“He’s also the guy who gave me part of his abdominal cabling when we were stranded on Neraiya-X34 and I took a rocket to the gut.”

The woman nods.

“We also had a casual frag once or twice a dozen or so vorns ago, but it was nothin’ but drunken fun.”

Nod.

“And there was this one time where he told me I was a fraggin’ idiot for hanging out with a human because it’d make my metal soft like your squishy meat and I punched him, and then we laughed that my metal isn’t squishy for now.”

Nod.

“Makes the most horrible, disgusting self-made highgrade ever. Ughh. There was this one time, we drank too much and he busted out a cube of this slag and one other mech threw up everything he gulped down that orbital cycle. And that was just from the smell! Heh!”

Nod.

“So that guy’s offline now.”

 

There it is. Y/n suspected as much. She hates that fact she guessed right.

 

The proxy looks at the mech with sympathy – the only thing she can really offer right now, besides her room and her attention.

“Sevny, I’m so sorry,” she tells the soldier and notices how his servos clench into fists, his face becoming even more grief-stricken.

“I’m tired of this,” he tells her grimly, “I’ve been out of stasis for most of the war, more than the others you know. It’s the same fraggin’ thing every orn, every stellar cycle, every vorn – different planets, same slag! SAME FRAGGING SLAG!!”

 

_CRASH!_

 

The cube hits the door, denting on the side and falling to the floor while the rest of the grey-speckled neon magenta liquid now runs down from the splatter, leaving brightly-colored streaks on the metal, gathering in puddles on the floor. Y/n looks back to her friend, who just stares at the mess for a long while before his optics go from burning brightly in rage to their previous dim, almost lifeless glow as he turns his attention back to her.

“Sorry about the door.”

“Forget the door, isn’t important,” Y/n assures gently, “May I?”

The mech nods and she lands on his knee. After this outburst, the soldier falls back into sadness, clenching his dentas as he looks to the side.

“I’ve lost count how many of those I gave a frag about I had to outlive, how many of them I saw offlined, how many I found out about from lists they'd post after missions and battles. I don’t even care if it’s Autobots, cave-ins or some giant monstrous organic from some stinkin’ planet where they need us to get Energon from. What good is winning the war when our race is probably already on the brink of extinction anyway, huh?! Or maybe I shouldn’t talk like that? Huh? They’ll take me to Starscream, he’ll brand me a traitor and offline me. All for the glorious Decepticon cause- UNICRON DAMN IT ALL TO THE PITS!”

The side of the soldier’s fist collides with the wall, his helm hung low, the light from his optics shining dimly onto his chassis as the sound echoes across the room. The smell of bad highgrade is almost strong enough to make her tear up and Y/n knows the cube that lies at her door wasn’t the first one Sevny had by far. The poor mech is devastated and very, very drunk, hopefully not poisoned. As he lowers his arm, Y/n relocates from his knee to his shoulder carefully and leaves one of her wings activated, unfurling it behind him and half-closing it around his helm in the best imitation of a hug she could give a cybertronian.

“Nothing I can say will ever be enough, I know,” Y/n says quietly next to Sevny’s audial, “I know how it feels like to lose those you’re close to, I can’t imagine how strong you must be to be able to deal with so much loss over the years.”

The mech sighs heavily, his optics closing as he turns his helm towards her and lets her hide him away from the world. He's the oldest of the cybertronians she is close with - older than Megatron by a couple of centuries - but right now he looks so very, truly old, his shoulders slumped, his face reflecting all of his exhausion and turmoil, his voice hoarse with grief and drunkenness.

“I know…you lost someone recently too. Maybe…Maybe that’s why I’m here. I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore today, Y/n.”

“You don’t have to,” the young woman assures quietly, “Today was hard. Just rest. You’re welcome to stay here tonight.”

Sevny’s optics open slightly to look at her, the red light of his right optic highlighting the scar over it.

“Y’sure?” he slurs tiredly yet seriously and the proxy locks gazes with him and nods. The soldier looks her over, looks down as he considers the proposal, then looks to the splatter on the door.

“I think I will. Yeah…”

“Good,” Y/n nods, making sure that it’s audible in her voice that she’s glad about that decision.

They stay like that for a while, sometimes talking but mostly silent while the mech quickly gets more and more sleepy. At some point, he reaches out to his battle mask what seems like instinctively, but, before his digits touch it, he stops and instead places his servo on his lap. Y/n watches the exhausted and grieving soldier recharge and her heart feels like someone is cutting it with a broken piece of glass. This wasn’t the first time someone from her Vehicon friends came to her and told her that somebot they knew died that day, but usually it was treated with much more…acceptance? Usually, it was not someone they considered a friend. Usually, they discussed it together in a group, talking it out and sharing rations together, often at Y/n’s. But Sevny came alone, drunk and in pain, and hoping to hide away. Y/n can’t help but relate to that reaction to loss.

 

A war going on for almost four million years...Sounds like hell.

 

It was one thing to experience The Great War from Megatron’s quarters, Soundwave’s workspace or even Knockout’s medbay. It was always different with the Vehicons.

She remembers Knockout talking about soldiers sometimes having to go into stasis to avoid extensive damage to their processor and spark by stress and wonders if that’s something that will maybe help her friend. Away from all the fighting, sleeping inside a stasis pod. At least until Megatron returns. Then again, if something happened on the Nemesis or to the Nemesis, and he was in stasis pod, helpless…

 

The proxy thinks of a convincing reason for Soundwave to change mine sentry's ‘….079’ shift to assisting Y/n in her personal matters tomorrow. Even if Soundwave isn't usually the one to handle shifts, thankfully his rank allows him to change whatever he needs anyway. The young woman sits on the roof of her cabin, watching her friend slumber while she messages Steve and asks him to deliver a couple of cubes of high-quality Energon from the medbay in the morning, warning Knockout about that right after. The latter will no doubt ask why she needed it and the proxy thinks she'll wait until tomorrow to figure out how much truth she will tell him exactly. After all, if they'll need Knockout's help tomorrow he'll find out about everything himself and if not, then she'll be able to keep Sevny's privacy to at least some degree. She also counts on the fact that there was a confrontation with the Autobots for Starscream to wait with giving her any new assignments - and that seems to be the case because the seeker doesn’t contact her at all that evening. Tomorrow, after the mine sentry wakes up and refuels, she’ll sneak him into her personal washroom so that he can wash the dirt off himself and not get questioned by his superiors on why he hasn’t decontaminated himself right after the battle.

Until then, she spends the night on her roof, her laptop on her lap while she occasionally looks over at Sevny and holds her puts hand on the bracelet around her right wrist.

 

_Ta-thum…Ta-thum…Ta-thum…_

Whatever Megatron is doing, she hopes it’ll end the war soon.

 

 

*******

 

What is she doing here?

How do people live this way?

_When is #724’s turn already?_

 

 

The red numbers on one of the many little screens turn to 698 and Y/n presses her lips together and takes a deep breath through her nose.

Her mother needed something changed in their house’s electricity plan and the young woman told her she’d gladly take care of it while her parents were away on a trip. But she _really_ underestimated how unaccustomed she became to the more mundane experiences of human life. The most exciting thing to happen in the last hour was her pressing a little button and a piece of paper sliding out. She had the time to bear witness to a woman talking _very_ loudly to her sister though Facetime, some guy looking over every woman like he was some beauty pageant judge, a mother trying to unsuccessfully calm down her toddler who just rolled all over the floor and screamed until he was finally given a chocolate bar he wanted and to everyone else in line looking as bored and annoyed as she was feeling.

 

_Ding!_

_699._

 

Primus…if this didn’t require a signature, it would all been over in the ten seconds it would take for Soundwave to hack into the database and change everything required. With a sigh, the young woman looks back to the screen of her phone. At least this is an exercise in patience, right?...

 

"MAAAMAAA I WANT ANOTHER SNICKERS!!!"

 

Why does the universe hate her so?...

 

*******

 

On the 20th of June Y/n finds herself on the beach again, the sky coloured bright orange around the setting sun while still staying bright blue above her head. She’s swimming, enjoying the still-warm water while the sounds of music and people hanging out reach her from the shore. She’s been in the water for a while now – Arthur has joined her and swam back already, so did some of her other friends. The young woman stays still in the water, watching the disk of the sun slowly approach the horizon, the sunlight shining through the water of the small waves around her, making them look amber in colour for just a moment. It’s peaceful. Letting the water carry her, watching either the sunset or her friends/her friends’ friends have a good time...

Y/n takes a deep breath of salty air and sighs softly, uneasiness filling her soul the moment she remembers that there is a choice hovering above her like the sword of Damocles. She rarely isn’t aware of it, it’s usually always in the back of her mind, but sometimes she manages to push it back enough to just enjoy dinnertime with her family or a fun time with human friends, the feeling of seawater on her skin or all the different colours Earth’s sky displays when the sun sets or rises.

Slowly, she submerges - the water closing over her head as Y/n goes deeper underwater. It’s dark underwater now that the sun is setting, but the sky above is still bright and looks surreal as the proxy looks up at it. It looks like another world up there, behind a thin layer of moving glass while here it’s quiet and dark, the colder current touching her legs as she finally reaches the sand. Y/n crosses her arms, hugging herself as she lets out a few bubbles of air and watches them rise to the surface while she collects herself in this quiet darkness, her hair gently brushing against her cheeks as it flows all around her.

Then, she pushes off the sand and swims towards the shore.

 

“Well look who returned! Grab a plate and pick something, Aquawoman,” Arthur laughs as he stands next to a grill, an assortment of meats and vegetables sizzling on the grate, the scent of burning coal and grilled food permeating the air. Y/n smiles sheepishly and wants to apologize for taking a bit too long, but one of her other friends comes over and throws a large towel over her head, making her look like a multi-coloured ghost.

“Here! One for one,” the other young woman says with what sounds like a smirk and Y/n remembers wrapping a towel around her earlier today, “Now dry yourself off while I fill you in on what you missed in the mast 40 minutes…”

As she dries herself off and gets filled in on all the things that she saw and heard happen when watching everyone from the distance while swimming, Y/n laughs it up with her friends and gratefully accepts some food of her choice from Arthur. They light a large bonfire soon after, using the driftwood they found all over the beach and the dried branches they gathered in the nearby forest. The light from the bonfire is bright and the embers inside the grill glow warmly as night sets in and everyone shares stories. Some stories she already knows, some are completely new to her. Some are less interesting to her while others pique her interest quite a bit. Y/n then spots some nearby planets in the sky and, when someone gets curious, gladly shares some knowledge and points to Jupiter and Venus that are closer to Earth right now.

“And on the nights of the 11-13 of August there will be the peak of the Perseid meteor shower,“ she explains and momentarily thinks of how she won’t be able to look at this summer’s and very possibly next summer’s brightest meteor shower together with Megatron, “Depending on the intensity, there can be from 60-70 to 150-200 visible meteors seen.”

“In a night?” someone asks.

“In an hour,”  Y/n smiles.

“Okay, so there’s this comet called Swift-Tuttle – it’s huge, about 26 kilometers wide, right? It passed Earth in ’92 and next time it only will in 2126, so we won’t get to see it. Buuut, the dust and debris it left behind is passed by Earth every year – that’s when the shower happens!  All that debris heats up as it enters our atmosphere and burns up in a bright burst of light as it travels at 59_freaking _kilometers _per second!“_ Arthur tells everyone with almost childish excitement as he hits his open palm with his fist to accentuate his words – not many know this about him, but the playboy used to be and still is a huge nerd, “Sooo…see y’all in almost two months?”

“If we don’t burn down the area this time,” Y/n’s newly-wedded friend smirks. The proxy chuckles and stands up, walking towards the grill to make some more food for everyone.

 

“Here,” Arthur places a white plastic cup into her hand once she sits back down onto her spot on a huge log and grins as she gives him an questioning look, “It’s a cocktail I made. I call it ‘Noche Roja’. It means ‘Red night’ in Spanish…if Google Translate didn’t mess up.”

The young woman smirks and nods in gratitude, then sniffs the red liquid. It seems to be a variation of Sangria – red wine mixed with berries and fruit. She takes a sip and the drink is sweet and fruity, making her smile.

“Gooood?” her friend asks with a grin.

“Good,” Y/n smiles, patting him on the knee as he passes her to offer the drink to the others. She then looks into the fire while placing her left hand on the cuff bracelet on her right wrist and rubbing the metal lightly.

 

_Ta-thum…Ta-thum…Ta-thum…_

 

The young woman smiles, reassured. It’s _so_ much easier to have fun with friends when she has proof that Megatron is alright, that his sparkbeat is steady. The beach, the warmth of a bonfire, warm food and tasty drinks enjoyed in good company, the knowledge of her dear mech being alive, even if he is far away – sounds like a recipe for a wonderful night.

 

*******

 

 

_Found a deposit._

_SS: Are you sure? Last time there was nothing._

_Last time I told you there was nothing,_

_but you insisted on upturning the whole area anyway._

_SS: Well I can’t depend on the expertise of a single human, can I now?_

_SS:…_

_SS: How big is it?_

_Judging by the scans, it’s the smallest one so far._

_Maybe a couple dozen tons, probably meant to refuel a small scouting ship._

_SS: Bah. It’s not even worth sending troops down. Do it yourself._

_How do you propose I do that, exactly?_

_SS: Are you being stupid on purpose? Use the mining armor, I’ll authorize it._

_SS: Now let me work._

 

 

Well _somebot’s_ in a bad mood today. Y/n’s not exactly surprised at that, but she _is_ surprised that the seeker authorized her using mining equipment. Mining armor was a sort of exoskeleton miners would sometimes put on to boost their strength when the intervention of more heavy-framed bots was either impossible due to conditions or just impractical. Y/n’s wing-controlling device was upgraded by Knockout to be able to operate one from a distance since she began heading out for scouting missions, but the proxy didn’t think Starscream would sign off on her actually using one.

 

She returns to the Nemesis and flies in the direction of the starship hangars but then turns to the right instead of the usual left. Dealing with a Vehicon she doesn’t know is a little stressful at first, but Y/n keeps herself calm and the older mech doesn’t seem to care anyhow since he was already given his orders. The human is directed to one of the many, _many_ equipment-housing sections this stadium-sized area has and she’s glad she has her helmet on since it offers navigation. This place is somewhat reminiscent to the stasis pod storage area, but instead of pods, the room is covered in locked cells from floor to ceiling. The cell she needs is in the second-to-bottom row, thankfully. The doors of the cell slide open, revealing a room housing a dozen of mine armor suits that almost look like cybertronian skeletons. Used in mining since the pre-war says and useless in the battlefield since they could be easily ripped off mechs and broken due to their skeletal structure, they are considered the Decepticons’ seldom-used mining equipment.

Y/n instinctively flies up to the end of the row, to the armor Neil went to when he taught her how to use these. Unit L-67-04. ‘Unit 4’ for short.

The grey exoskeleton has patches that are bright red and yellow and are reflective - measures that make it more easily noticeable by the naked optic in case of a cave in. Standing at a height of an average miner, it almost seems like it’s staring at her with the holes in its hollow half-face that’s actually a helm-covering cap. Her HUD recognises the mine armor a device she can wirelessly connect to and Y/n selects the option to do that. She feels only a slight tingle on the skin of the back of her neck as her control device binds to the exoskeleton. A schematic of the armor appears on Y/n’s HUD as hieroglyphs and numbers of code run to the sides of it as it’s checked for errors in both hardware and software. Then, the system brings up a conclusion on the device’s status. Y/n quickly looks over it – she had to study up on what it’s made of and how it works, after all - and then dismisses the pop up before activating the controls.

A blue glow lights up on its round joints as the central control piece at the top of its backstrut distributes energy throughout the armor. The giant skeleton-like thing jolts and lifts its half-helm as Y/n orders it. It’s almost like moving a marionette…only with one’s mind. Mentally tugging at different parts of the armor while it adjusts to the operator’s thinking patters....After the armor adjusts, however, it gets a bit easier since Y/n doesn’t have to manually move each leg- and arm-cover and keep the thing standing upright.

The proxy hovers in the air with her arms crossed as she makes Unit 4 walk from and to her a few times, until she’s mostly sure she won’t embarrass herself by tripping it in the hallway somewhere. It seems incredible, for cybertronians to be able to do this with their processors – provided they have the right software installed and have sufficient training. Install software into the brain, be able to surf the internet with it, having internal chronometers and other features…sometimes Y/n forgot how different the inhabitants of the Nemesis really were from her. Thankfully, with a bit of help from Knockout Y/n is able to at least partially do the things they can.

The young woman alerts Soundwave that she’s ready for a groundbridge and he directs her to the closest terminal where a Vehicon will open a portal to her last destination. She thanks the communications officer, takes a deep breath and opens the doors of the cell again.

 

Better do this quick, using this thing for far too long causes a major headache.

 

_“…then a migraine, then nausea, possible bleeding inside the skull, loss of consciousness, death...”_

_“I get it, Knockout, I’ll remember to be careful,” Y/n smirked, looking at the medic and at Breakdown with a reassuring smile._

_“Hmph,” the cherry-coloured mech rolls his optics, “The nerve of that silver aft. Using my Y/n, my assistant, for such a dirty job. Ugh, digging up stuff. Lazy afthole, couldn’t find his own human…”_

 

Y/n smiles at the memory and resolves to take a break if this will take too long.

 

*******

 

 

“This was a great idea,” Breakdown praises as he gets a servo-full of popcorn, the human-sized mechs lounging on her sofa in her living room while all three of them watched TV in Y/n’s mansion. Her friends have been visiting occasionally to upgrade the house and just chill with her, but today Y/n invited them to just come over and watch some horror movies. All three of them liked horror movies. Especially Knockout. Especially when he had Breakdown’s arm around his shoulders - Y/n was fairly sure the medic felt invincible then.

“Glad you approve,” Y/n smiles as she sits in a huge armchair, her legs pulled up and crossed as she watches some poor barely-dressed teen girl get killed by Jason.

“You wanna do this tomorrow night too?” Knockout asks, both his posture and his expression reminding Y/n of a content and lazy cat – it’s nice seeing the cocky doctor be so…domestic, “I like being somewhere that’s not all dark metal and copy-pasted frames.”

“Hey, Vehicons are people too,” Y/n scolds with a smirk, “I know what you mean, though. Sure guys, swing by tomorrow too. There are _a lot_ of these movies.”

“Wish there’d be a movie where some of these guys meet though,” Breakdown thinks out loud, “Like, Jason meets some other bad guy and they duke it out.”

A grin spreads on Y/n’s face.

“Oh do I have some news to tell you…”

 

*******

 

 

It’s the 16th of July and Y/n sits on the couch atop Soundwave’s desk in the officer’s hab suite. She brought him a hot cube of Energon and information.

Over the last two and a half months Y/n had been on twenty scouting missions. Some of them on land, some underground, some even underwater. In 14 cases out of 20 Energon was indeed found, in 4 the Autobots seemed to get to it first (this was because leads to the places were gotten from the Autobot side in the first place), in 2 cases the Energon was either swallowed by the earth so deeply that it was undetectable or someone got it in the previous times cybertronians were on the planet.

In the 14 cases that Energon deposits _were_ found, all 14 times Starscream ordered their retrieval. Y/n was present for 8 excavations, conducted 2 herself. Four were marked as ‘successful’ in the logs, the quantity of Energon in Nemesis’s storages increasing in accordance with what was recovered.

 

All seemed like Starscream was honestly and truly just gathering all Energon available while Megatron was away.

Yes, it _seemed_ like it.

 

“You think those four places I was called out of for an early debriefing still have Energon there? I asked Neil, he told me they were ordered to leave nothing behind,” Y/n muses, the side of her index finger pressed to her lips as her thumb supports her chin. Her gaze is lowered as she looks either at her cup of tea, the top of the desk or Soundwave’s mask that remains on the desk while her friend sips his first Energon of the day despite it being late evening already. The mech was a serious workaholic sometimes.

“Then again, he could just re-bury the Energon after marking the place as ‘cleared’,” Y/n continues with a sigh, “The Nemesis constantly uses a slightly varied amount of Energon depending on its energy consumption and while we do try to note every cube of Energon used for medical procedures, it’s not exactly possible to keep track of _everything_ when Energon is used for such a large amount of things on board - rations, repairs, ship fuel...Say, the Nemesis ‘uses’ a few dozen tons of fuel more in a week, no one will bat an optic. Or rations for ten soldiers will be accounted for even though they are already dead, but their ‘offline’ status will miraculously appear only the next day.”

Y/n sighs, closing her eyes and lifting her eyebrows high to make the muscles of her face a bit less tense. She the reopens her eyes and looks at the herbs at the bottom of her thermos-mug.

“Or am I being too paranoid? Vow of silence or not, I formally request some sort of sign from you as to whether I sound stupid or not.”

 

She thinks she hears a very, very faint sound that is reminiscent of a short chuckle and feels a thin digit touch the top of her head carefully. Y/n chuckles quietly as well, reassured.

 

While she takes a good, unhurried drink of her tea, a datapad is placed at her feet – with its size, it really looks like Soundwave placed a holographic rug in front of her. It’s kind of funny. The young woman looks through the information on the holoscreen.

“...Does it amuse you to mess with me?” she finally asks with a grin as she realises that all that she just talked about (and a few other things she didn’t think of) was already written down by Soundwave himself as things to check and keep an optic/eye out for – something he avoided telling her at the start of their conversation. A text program appears in a new window on the datapad screen and hieroglyphs start typing themselves out:

 

[Yes.]

 

If Y/n could look at the mech’s face right now, she would have flashed him a jokingly unimpressed/scolding look.

 

[Teaching Y/n: Also amusing.]

 

“Well that’s just…very nice of you, actually,” she wants to smirk but smiles warmly instead, feeling her cheeks warm up just a bit, “Thank you. I’m glad I thought of some of these things, then.”

Long black digits grab the mask on the table and Y/n looks up when she hears it pressurize back into place. Soundwave displays a smiling violet-and-red emoticon on his mask and she can’t help but offer a smile back.

“Okay, so what’s the plan now?” the proxy asks, putting one leg atop the other and leaning forward impatiently.

 

 

*******

 

 

“So Mary says ‘I don’t want her in my house, my grandkid is too good for her!’.”

“Her grandkid is ‘too good’ for anyone,” Y/n chuckles as she throws what looks like little grey dried up human vertebrae into some holes in the ground that she made. It’s the 2nd of August – the perfect time to plant beet seeds.

“That’s what _I_ told her, too!” her grandmother smirks, “I told her ‘Mary, no one is going to be enough for your precious little grandson. But he’s 32 now, probably a good time to let him pick his own girlfriends’. And do you know what she told me? ‘While he lives under my roof, he lives by my rules!’”

“Well, that wouldn’t be a problem if he decided to finally find a job and move out. Just saying~” the young woman says as she continues planting the beets, her grandmother doing the same from the other side of the small area dedicated to growing the red vegetable.

“Oh that’s a whole other can of worms, honey,” Gm/n rolls her eyes, “What, are you saying you wouldn’t want to live with me until you’re thirty? Oh my poor grandmother heart is breaking.”

“I’d _love_ to, grandma,” Y/n assures with a smirk, “But I doubt my two-meter-tall boyfriend would fit in your tiny house full of glass figurines and model ships.”

 

They chuckle and Y/n watches her grandmother’s hands expertly plant the seeds and cover them up with crumbly, slightly damp soil. Plant and cover up, plant and cover up...

 

“So how _is_ Max doing? No word from him?”

“Huh? Oh, you know, still nothing. I mean, that’s to be expected. I’ve told you how it is…” Y/n smiles momentarily as she looks at the older woman, then lowers her gaze back to her task.

“I know, just curious if maybe something changed…You okay?”

“Yeah, I have enough to do while he’s away, so-“

_“Are you okay, honey?”_

Y/n looks up again to see Gm/n looking at her knowingly.

“Don’t forget, my husband was a captain during times when the best communication available was a once-a-month phone call. Open line with ten other people on that line, everyone having to cooperate and figure out who talks with whose wife or mother first.”

Y/n nods – she’s heard stories like this a lot over the years, but even more so since her grandfather has passed. She can't bring herself to interrupt her grandmother to remind her that she grew up on these stories, though, not after her grandmother became a widow. And also because she has no idea for how much longer she'll be able to listen to them - if she leaves she'll probably never see her grandmother alive again and if she stays...well, Gm/n wasn't exactly getting any younger as years passed. And humans only lived for so long. So the proxy will gladly listen as the older woman revisits her favourite memories.

“I remember, gran, can’t imagine how that must have been,” Y/n manages a small and short-lived smile. If she couldn’t be sincere (at least, mostly sincere) with her family, who else was she supposed to let into her heart? “I just…miss him a lot. But that’s natural.”

“Oh I know you do, dearie,” the woman smiles back at her – a calm, reassuring smile, “This might sound cynical, but believe me – it’ll get easier soon, you’ll get used to living alone again. Ah, well, aside from the times when you miss him so much you can’t sleep or eat. Try and eat, though, don’t make grandma worry.”

 

That genuinely makes Y/n laugh a little.

 

“Hah, deal, I’ll try. I’m fine, really. Thanks, gran.”

“Well if you ever want to talk about it, you always know you can visit or call me. Now, let’s finish up and go eat that apple pie, it should have cooled down by now!”

 

 

*******

 

 

It’s a cloudy day in Iceland on the 4th of August. Maybe it’ll rain soon, Y/n thinks as soon as she flies out of a groundbridge a kilometer or so above ground. Seemingly unending grass plains stretch to the west and to the east there’s nothing but water. The proxy looks over the information on the HUD, then lets her helmet partially transform back, opening her face to the wind currents as she glides down. Her destination is simple to find this time – a dormant volcano that is right in front of her. The whole volcano is covered in grass and patches of grass-less black earth and stones, and a river runs next to it, silver in the light of the clouded sky.

The young woman lets the front of the helmet snap back into place over her face and circles the volcano before landing on top of it. She walks up to the edge and looks down the chasm, reminding herself that this volcano hasn’t erupted since at least 20.000 years ago. Huh…so ‘recently’ for cybertronians? Y/n looks into the abyss and doesn’t know if it looks back at her, but she does know is that she has a job to do. Namely, following a lead on an Autobot Energon stash. Everything will be fine, this isn’t even her first dormant volcano – that one was a month ago in Hawaii.

 

_Going inside the volcano, don’t worry if communication gets wacky._

 

She sends that message to Soundwave, who always serves as a kind of anchor to her in these situations. Whatever happens, the spymaster knows her last coordinates and status. While usually Y/n likes the feeling of nobody at all knowing exactly where she is, this is an entirely different matter. Taking a deep breath, she opens her arms and lets herself fall forward…

 

The holomatter parts of her wings glow slightly blue as they activate and Y/n gradually slows her descent, looking around carefully once she’s halfway down. The dome-like cave all around her is mostly the color of rust, the brown, orange and red rocks sticking out of the walls and ground in chunks – almost like oversized unappealingly-looking rock candy. The helmet is set to Y/n breathing unfiltered air, so the smells of sulfur and ash are strong…but tolerable.

The young woman lands onto the rocks and looks up – the opening of the volcano looks so small. She’s about 1200 meters from it now and the white light coming from above seems almost like a stage light. The proxy then looks around carefully as her HUD informs her that there’s Energon _somewhere_ in here. Relatively close, though. The ground here is very uneven and rocky, and the echoes produced by her trying to walk over it makes Y/n uncomfortable – she’s used to walking silently on scouting missions, her every step not being an announcement of her presence. So she flies up just a bit, her feet almost touching the rocks as she explores. There are tunnels here, made by the lava that once sought its way up and out, and the proxy explores them, playing a little game of ‘Hot &Cold’ with her HUD to find the source of the signal. The HUD could tell Y/n to go forward, but there could be a wall of rock there and she would have to find ways to go around, the numbers measuring the distance to her goal climbing back up again.

Still, it was exciting! Y/n liked the exploring, the kind of ‘treasure hunt’ vibe that still felt as fresh as the first time she was sent out to search for Energon. It felt even better now, though, since she actually had a bit of experience in what she was doing.

 

She doesn’t have experience on what to do when the sound of three heavy chunks of metal land to the bottom of the volcano, the echo from the impacts almost deafening. _No, no, it can't be..._ Quietly flying up to the exit of one of the tunnels, Y/n peaks out of it carefully and immediately whips back, moving closer to one of the walls as she activates her suit's cloaking tech. The matt platinum of her armor adjusts to her surroundings, reflecting the light and colors around it in a way that makes it – and her - seem see-though. The ‘Cloaking: Engaged’ displayed in the corner of her HUD has never been so relieving to see and Y/n can feel that it’s getting just a little easier not to panic.

 

Somehow, she hoped this would never happen. It was so improbable that they’d cross paths. That out of all days and all times of day, out of all places…

 

“Stay alert,” Optimus Prime’s voice reaches her, echoing off the walls that closed them all off from the rest of the world.  

If she saw correctly, the other two standing with the Prime under the white light were Arcee and Bumblebee. Y/n quietly presses into the wall and takes a deep breath, her gaze turned in the direction the large pedesteps were coming from. Okay, she just has to figure out which tunnels they will head into to know in what level of immediate danger she is and then she’ll contact Soundwave. Contact Soundwave…Her HUD shows her the level of signal and it’s currently non-existent - Y/n bites her lower lip, her eyes narrowing. Okay, she finds a way to quickly get up and _then_ calls the full-fucking-force of the Nemesis down here.

 

“Arcee, go to the left tunnel. Bumblebee - the one next to that. I will investigate this one to the right.”

 

That’s hers. Oh fuc- _Really? Really, universe??_

Y/n immediately remembers the layout of the tunnel she just explored and before the Prime’s first step lands in its direction, she bolts back, into the cavern that’s some 300 meters away. The sound of the Autobot commander’s pedesteps just reaching the tunnel are heard when she’s already out of it and on top of the cavern’s ceiling, searching for a spot to hide in until he passes. Theoretically, she could have activated her wings to full and bolted _towards_ the Autobots and then up – even if despite her cloaking their sensors somehow picked up on her presence, they wouldn’t have been able to react and catch her that fast, she thinks as her heart hammers away in her ribcage almost painfully. But Megatron was right when he said that should Prime ever spot a human covered in Decepticon tech he would immediately put two and two together. She’ll try not to be seen, Y/n decides, but if that will have to happen for her to get away or catch the Autobots before they get the Energon – so be it. It’s not like she’s willing to let the enemy get away with fuel they could use to later fight Megatron’s forces, injure her friends and leave her and Knockout to slave away in the medbay for hours. 

 

It’s then that she hears Optimus Prime speak again. He’s still at the entrance to the tunnel, she realises as she tries to keep her breathing under control. Time sure moves slowly when you’re so fast…and in a state of near-panic.

“The volcano’s structure and composition is jamming the signal. Should the comm lines between us cut inside the volcano as well, remember – we meet here in half a cycle.”

 

Well that’s very thoughtful of him, Y/n thinks as she listens to the Autobot’s deep voice. A feminine-sounding ‘Acknowledged’ and short series of beeps echo off the walls and Y/n presses her lips together as the heavy pedesteps slowly get closer and closer to where she is. Fortunately, Y/n has found a large crack in the rocks, high above in the very shadows of the large dark cavern. For now, the surrounding darkness and the suit’s camouflage tech are her best bet. Her hiding place also offers a wonderful vantage point, the proxy having a clear view of the exit from the tunnel and the whole cavern floor below.

 

Slow breath out…slow breath in…

 

Light spills into the cavern and Optimus Prime walks into it, the car lights on his chassis lighting the way for him while the flashlight integrated into his right servo is used by him to look around. Y/n retreats deeper between the rocks instinctively when the light runs along the top rocks that form the ceiling, mindful not to press _too_ much into the walls. The sound of her metal armor and unfolded but deactivated wings scraping against the rocks is not something she wants to give her away. The light leaves the top of the cavern and the proxy looks out of her hiding place and straight down, watching the leader of the Autobots walk through the darkness, his blue optics shining brightly. Oh she remembers those optics well. She’s had many nightmares featuring them. Staying quiet and unseen, Y/n waits for the Prime to get far away from the tunnel for her to get out. Of course, with her luck, he stops not ten meters away from it, not even reaching the center of the place. He presses two digits to one of his antennae-bearing audials and speaks:

“Arcee, Bumblebee, do you copy? Is the signal clear?...Good. Stay on this frequency, advance through the darkness carefully.”

 

Huh…how… _nice._ Again.

 

Y/n checks the strength of her signal but - sure enough – with her having only gone deeper underground the signal to the Nemesis still remains cut off. A tendency when the Autobots get involved, she jokes to herself grimly.

 

“Yes, Arcee?” the red, blue and silver mech replies to one of his soldiers as he _finally_ starts moving again, “No, Agent Fowler said that they made sure no human expeditions were scheduled while we’re here.”

 

_Agent Fowler?..._

The Autobots have a human? One that makes sure no other humans will accidentally interfere? An _agent??_ Was some government’s agent putting the Earth in danger by working with the Autobots? Did Megatron know about this? No, he would have told her. Gods, a human working with the Autobots. An _agent_ of some sort. This is so bad.

She should get ready for her chance to escape as soon as the Prime approaches the entrance to the next tunnel, but now Y/n has doubts. Should she stay and listen some more?...She could learn more about this agent, maybe? She never considered murdering someone, not in non-self-defence at least, but right now surgically cutting out a human asset to the Autobots seemed like a good idea. Then again, she has a name – Soundwave can do wonders with much less.

 

“No, I do not think the United States government has power over this country, it was probably a matter of their security agencies cooperating,” the mech says thoughtfully as he passes the mid-point of the cavern and Y/n’s eyes go wide. So Agent Fowler is a United States agent? Oh god, why does everything always has to do with the US? Why couldn’t it be some small non-superpower country? Now Y/n knows there’s an Autobot spy in the US military…or maybe there’s more than one? This is so bad, _so bad._ She has to get out the moment Prime enters the next tunnel and contact Soundwave. Y/n gets on one knee silently, ready to push off the rocks and activate her wings simultaneously, her heart pounding in her ears as she holds her breath.

“Even still. In case humans _do_ show up, our priority is to get them out of here immediately. We cannot risk the Decepticons appearing and injuring or killing them.”

 

Wait… _What?_

The tips of Y/n’s gloved fingers hook onto the rocks she is perching on, her eyes focused on the Autobot commander so intensely she can see the chipped red paint on the corners of his shoulder armor. Should _the Decepticons_ kill humans? Sure, Decepticons did not care about human lives but they would also not go out of their way to kill them…unless they were witnesses. Megatron himself threatened Y/n with death during their first meeting, after all. But…Why did you just say it like that, Prime, don’t you do the same, on a massive scale no less? Why do you suddenly care about human lives that much?

 

“…Maybe you are right, Bumblebee,” the mech sighs, the corners of his lips lowering as he frowns in what seems like grim thoughtfulness before snapping back to his previous serious expression as his optics look at the tunnel ahead of him. His posture is alert, his steps are careful yet confident, but the sigh he let out and how heavy it was makes Y/n incredibly confused, “This place does look similar. Perhaps it does bring back…highly unpleasant memories. Do not worry about me, friend. Stay alert and keep me informed of what you come across.”

 

Unpleasant memories? Could he…Could he be talking about the Alabama mine? Come to think of it, this place does look just a bit similar- _No._ That would be an unpleasant memory only if the one who ‘killed’ the human there had regrets about it. But Prime…his whole manner of speaking, his expressions, everything about him…Everything was extremely wrong – this was not who Megatron told her about. Just like back in that mine, there was no one to act for, no one to put on the façade of a noble and kind commander for. Y/n’s cheek twitches as her eyes narrow, sparks of blue dancing in them.

 

_What the hell is going on here?..._

 

The Autobot walks into the tunnel - this is her chance to escape. Should she? Will she? The way the mech behaved and what he said completely scrambled her expectations. Emotionally, she was insulted at the way he referred to Megatron’s forces. Logically…she had to know more now. She needed to know more. But the Prime doesn’t speak anymore, she can only hear his pedesteps as he walks down the tunnel. There’s a naturally-occurred ‘cork’ of ash and rocks at the end of the tunnel, so Y/n knows he’ll turn back relatively soon. Biting her lip, the young woman leaps off the rocks, activates her wings and glides down as quickly as she can, flying into the tunnel that led towards the exit. She stops and hovers a little ways away from the tunnel’s exit, carefully checking if the other Autobots have returned. They haven’t.

 

Now what?...

Y/n flies out of the tunnel and looks up, towards the grey and white sky.

 

The three Autobots have all gone down tunnels Y/n has already been in – she knows they wouldn’t lead them to the Energon. There is only one tunnel left unexplored by her and she’s fairly sure they’ll go there once they all meet up here again.

She should leave, she should leave _now._

Her shoulders, ribs and hipbones scream at her, reminding her of what the Prime’s servo is capable of, her limbs feel numb and cold despite her heart beating like crazy. Her hand shakes as she balls it into a fist and orders herself to calm down.

 

Her HUD alerts her that her connection to the Nemesis is restored. Y/n mentally curses and flies up.

 

There are not many places to hide here, but she finds one between the rocks about a quarter-way up. She feels like she’s too hot and then too cold, and then suffocatingly hot again as anxiety grips her. As she hides behind one of the protruding rocks, Y/n hangs onto the wall tightly. She takes a deep breath, concentrating on her heightened hearing abilities, letting them set in as her ears start to pick up on everything from the grass rustling in the wind outside the volcano to the sound of three different pairs of pedesteps coming from three different tunnels, metal hitting rock and sinking into patches of gravel-like ground.

 

“Beep-bo-beep, wee-ryooo?” _Found anything, Arcee?_

“No, I found nothing too. We’ll have to check the last tunnel if Optimus had the same luck as we did.”

“Beep-bubeep-beyyyioon-yo ta-ta-ta-lieuuu-beep? Be-pob dee-bee-ioooon?”   _You think the crates are in the same place they left them? Even if it’s been this long?_

“No idea. Hopefully, that tunnel makes a sharp turn that’ll lead us to them. Stay alert. The Decepticons may have spotted us coming here, even if we did approach the place in vehicle mode.”

“Beee-boo.” _Roger._

 

Y/n only listens, knowing that if she took a peek from behind the rocks there was (a minimal, but still) chance the Autobots would be able to spot her should they just look up at the brightly lit entrance, the light _somehow_ giving her away despite her suit’s cloaking. It was highly improbable, but she wasn’t going to risk it.

The heaviest pedesteps approach and soon she hears Optimus Prime’s voice again:

“There is nothing down this tunnel. Did you find anything?”

“Nothing.”

“Booo-bee, beep.” _Nothing, sir._

“Then we will proceed into the last one. I will go first. Arcee, cover me. Bumblebee, stay at the entrance to the tunnel and keep us informed on any developments.”

“Bo- Beep?” _But…Sir?_

“I need you here. I cannot shake the feeling of us being watched.”

 

Y/n’s heart feels like it just stopped, her knuckles are white under the gloves of her suit as she grips the rocks and doesn’t breathe.

 

“It is possible that Soundwave or Laserbeak could be close. I need you as my audials and optics.”

“Bob, beep!” _Yes, sir!_

 

 

The moment she hears the Autobots start walking, Y/n looks from behind the rock and – once she sees their turned backs – immediately darts up at the maximum speed her wings are capable of. She’s outside the volcano and to the side of it in a matter of two seconds, her body too shocked by the sudden jolt to even feel nauseous. Or feel anything at all. Before she has time to think, she opens a private comm line with the Decepticon spymaster.

“Soundwave, there are Autobots inside the volcano. Sending map of internal layout, marking the tunnel they went into…Please open a groundbridge on my locat-”

She’s not even finished talking when a small bluish-green swirling vortex opens some three meters next to her and Y/n flies into it, re-emerging on the command bridge of the Nemesis, next to the main terminal that Soundwave is currently standing at.

“How many?” Starscream demands as he approaches her.

“Three. Prime, Arcee, Bumblebee.”

“Last known location?”

“Marked the tunnel on the map. Prime and Arcee went into it, the scout stayed at the entrance.”

“The Energon?”

“Very possibly down the same tunnel, all others lead to dead ends.”

 

The seeker looks her over for a moment, red optics moving up and down quickly before Starscream’s body turns 180 degrees and he starts issuing orders. Behind herself, she can hear Soundwave type and the panels of his chassis slide aside, letting Laserbeak out. Y/n lets her glove retreat back into the suit and extends her hand to the side, touching the deployer’s wing just as he stops to hover next to her. The feeling of touching familiar metal grounds her while her mind goes blank for a moment. She watches Starscream command the troops while on a lower level of the deck the Vehicons manning the terminals work away. Is it Kody's shift right now? She can't seem to remember. Looking through the observation screen, the young woman realises that they are far away from the Autobots now, that her part is done. Her HUD informs her of a new incoming message and she opens it on autopilot.

 

_Soundwave:  Y/n: Status?_

_I’m fine, just a bit shaken up. Thank you._

_I’ll get off the bridge and let you work. If you need me, I’ll be in the medbay._

That reply sounds normal, right? Yes, it does.

 

“You want to accompany me to the medbay?” Y/n asks the winged deployer hovering by her side and Laserbeak gives a digital chirp of approval. The young woman pats his wing, then takes her hand off him.

“Starscream, do you still need me here?” she asks loudly enough to catch the seeker’s attention while he’s busy watching dozens of red dots that symbolize Decepticons move in on the three yellow ones that symbolize the Autobots on a large holoscreen.

“Not staying for the show? You did earn it,” the acting commander of the ship smirks and – either it’s paranoia setting in or the stress getting to her – he seems _too_ pleased. Then again, this _is_ Starscream.

“I need to be in the medbay in case there will be injured mechs after the battle,” the young woman states the most obvious reason, slowly looking over to the holoscreen, holding her gaze for a couple of seconds and then looking back to Starscream.

“Hm...I’m starting to see why Lord Megatron keeps you around,” the seeker smirks again and clasps his servos behind his back as he hunches forward a bit, “Very well, you’re dismissed.”

The young woman nods and flies towards the exit, Laserbeak at her side. It would be suspicious if Y/n – Y/n, who was fixing soldiers even days after her grandfather died – would opt not to go there now. So they fly to the medbay, Y/n acting on autopilot and out of knowledge of what she would do…were her mind not in a state of chaos. She needs time to process what she heard and what it all means. Of course, wars were never all black and white, and Megatron held a grudge against his once-brother, so he may have been biased when telling her about him…But all of this was _wildly_ different from what she was made to believe. She needed time to either try and tie it logically to what she knows…or start to analyse the things that she _thought_ she knew.

They reach the medbay without incident and the doors slide open to reveal Knockout sitting on the table, spinning a wrench in his servo.

“I hear you caught us some Autobots,” the doctor says, smirking once he’s done looking her over, “Good job on not getting hurt in the process. I’d be mad if you did.”

“He was very worried,” Breakdown flashes her a smile as he betrays the medic completely and, as Y/n watches the cherry red mech throw his partner a death glare, things seem completely normal. This is what she knows, what she lived with for two years now. She thanks Laserbeak and the small cybertronian flies off back to Soundwave while Y/n lands onto the table next to Knockout, deactivates her wings…and just sits down.

“Kid…You okay?” Breakdown asks as he drops the jokes, both yellow and black-and-red optics looking at her while she pulls her legs up to her body and holds them there by hugging them. The armor and gloves covering her hands are now gone and Y/n puts her left hand on her right wrist, rubbing the silvery metal with her thumb as she looks ahead of herself.

 

_Ta-thum…Ta-thum…Ta-thum…_

 

“I’m fine, just a bit shaken up. Thank you,” she tells them the same thing she told Soundwave. She’d rather not take off her helmet right now, but it would be strange if she didn’t while together with her friends, right? They’d worry. She doesn’t need them to worry. So the helmet transforms back into the collar of her suit, letting the fluorescent-like light of the medbay land on her face.

“Well yeah…” Knockout shrugs and Y/n catches him share a look with Breakdown and then shrug, “Can we get you something, doll?”

“Yeah, you do have a mini-fridge here after all,” Breakdown reminds, trying to cheer her up, “Grab yourself something sweet and fizzy, ya sure deserved it.”

“I will, I will, just…let me catch my breath, okay, guys? This is the first place I went to right after groundbridging from there, after all,” the proxy tells them as she reaches back and takes out the scrunchie in her hair, letting h/c strands fall over the sides of her face, providing at least some coverage. She’ll tie it back again later when it’s time to work and fly.

“Aw, she went straight to us,” Knockout’s digits tap on the table next to her.

“And she wasn’t even hurt or need anything – that’s a good friend right there,” Breakdown grins as he turns around and reaches out to the very corner of one of the counters. A moment later, her mini-fridge is placed next to Y/n, the blue mech offering her a sheepish smile.

“Y’know…just in case.”

Y/n’s shoulders relax for the first time in what feels like forever as she can’t help but find this type of kindness endearing and rewards it with a grateful little smile.

“There it is~” Knockout smiles next to her, “Drink something, doll. Doctor’s orders.”

“Fine, _fine,”_ Y/n chuckles softly, opening the fridge carefully not to let all the cans and bottles (that were surely shaken out of place) fall out at the same time. She’s safe on the Nemesis, the young woman thinks. It’s counterproductive to try and figure out what exactly she heard while she’s in shock and high on adrenaline, she reasons with herself. She may have a job to do after the soldiers return to the Nemesis, she hammers the final point in, calming herself down and letting herself not think for a while.

 

_She'll think about this Later._

 

*******

 

 

There is a shark under her.

 

Swimming about its business, a great white shark moves in the water some ten meters from the surface where Y/n is floating on her back, her eyes closed as the sun shines on her. The shark knows she’s there, it just doesn’t care. At least, for now. When it will, only then will Y/n bother influencing it in some proxy-related way.

Sharks need to constantly move to stay alive. They have evolved in a way that requires the water to move over and past their gills for them to be able to extract oxygen from it. Some sharks have a small hole behind their eyes that push water through the gills when they’re stationary and asleep. Not the Great White – it moves even during times of sleep. It finds a strong, oxygen-rich current and opens its mouth before entering a sort of catatonic state, letting the current both carry the shark with it and push water through the gills while the predator rests. Fascinating, really. Y/n considered taking a midnight dip and swimming next to a sleeping Great White but decided she’d not want anyone gawking at her when she was asleep.

Besides, it’s not like Y/n has any problems approaching a fully awake shark, even a Great White.

The beast moves in circles - sometimes moving about thirty meters away, sometimes swimming right under her. The proxy wonders if it maybe found a fitting current for the coming night and now stays around, hunting smaller fish until nightfall. They – she and the shark – are in the waters near the south-western corner of the Sakhalin Island, the shark-looking island located north of Japan and belonging to Russia. The date is the 23rd of August and it’s still very much warm in this part of the world, Y/n’s HUD showing 26°C before she took her suit off. Her suit is on one of the smaller cliffs that protrude from the water around a larger cliff. The waves crash into the greyish brown massive rock structures while Y/n drifts some ways away.

 

She opens her eyes slightly and turns her head, looking towards the cliffs while the deep blue water rocks her body up and down slowly. 27 scouting missions, 18 successful. The young woman sighs and closes her eyes, then lifts the sea-goggles off her neck, puts them on and dives down head-first.

The rays of the early afternoon sun pass through the clear water and land onto the light-grey hide of the Great White as it swims about twenty meters to the right from where Y/n is. Turning to face the shark, Y/n just stays still, watching it. Sharks are not immediately aggressive…but they are curious. The two-ton mass of muscle swims towards Y/n and the young woman has a nervously joking thought that it looks like it’s smiling when looked at from the front. A big, toothy smile. Large round nostrils and round pitch black eyes are other things that catch Y/n’s attention as she concentrates on making it explicitly clear to the ocean predator that she’s something it doesn’t want to engage in a scuffle. She doesn’t try to scare it away, but she does project a certain feeling of caution onto the animal, affecting it the similarly as a known venomous, poisonous or simply stronger sea creature would. This is not food, but also doesn’t have to be an enemy.

The Great White approaches her slowly and it’s almost as long as Steve is tall. Almost six meters long, then. Probably a girl, then, males don’t reach more than four meters usually, Y/n thinks as she tries to keep calm by shuffling around whatever knowledge her brain holds on these massive fish. The light coming from above makes a sort of moving net-like pattern on the grey back of the shark and if Y/n wasn’t already holding her breath she would have from how close the huge predator is and how her human instincts are screaming all kinds of obscene insults at her. They look each other over, e/c eyes looking into a large black one as the Great White passes the proxy. It – at least Y/n thinks it’s the same shark – caught a large seal back when Y/n just arrived to scout the place, so it should be in a nice enough mood by now, she thinks as she turns around to not lose the shark out of view.

 

Sure, she began swimming with sharks in Australia since maybe a year ago, occasionally returning to pet one or two friendly Tiger sharks on the nose, but this is different. While not as bloodthirsty as in the movies, there are still reasons why the Great White is the apex predator of the underwater world.

Her new underwater acquaintance circles her while she watches its large, powerful body move, its tail swing to one side and then the other. There are some scars on both the grey back of the shark and its white belly and Y/n involuntarily things of Megatron suddenly. She glances to her right where the cuff bracelet on her wrist catches the sunlight and brings her right hand to her chest as the shark approaches again. Steeling herself and placing her faith in her abilities that haven’t failed her _yet_ , the young woman reaches out towards the Great White as it seems to slow down a bit and kind of just drift in her direction. Her palm connects with the broad wedge-shaped nose of the shark as it bumps into her, trying to figure out exactly what she is. A common tactic among sharks _and holy hell she’s touching a Great White oh gods oh wow…_

Carefully, Y/n rubs the nose of the huge predator and swims out of its way as it continues moving – the same thing she did when first trying to touch Tiger sharks. She watches the shark as it makes a big circle around her and her heart pounds loudly in her chest as it nears her again, this time bumping its nose into both of her palms.

_Eeasy, girl…_

The proxy rubs the nose from and to its center before the Great white swims to the side, almost hitting her with its massive tail as it moves away again. The next time it comes around and then retreats, Y/n rubs her hand over its side as well, a smile finally appearing on her lips. She knows that some people did pet great white sharks with no proxy abilities acting as insurance…Y/n was not one of those people. But she now understood why they would want to do something this risky. She decides to come up for air and does so while keeping an eye on the shark. It follows her at some point, circling around her and then swimming away before Y/n resurfaces. The young woman stays calm when she feels the shark approach again, but her instincts make heart beat so fast she thinks she can feel it in her throat when a large grey fin appears out of the water and cuts through it as the Great White approaches her.

“Now now, calmly now…” Y/n doesn’t know who she’s really talking to when a familiar broad nose presses into her hands and presses the backs of her palms to her chest while round black, emotionless eyes stare what feels like into her very soul. The shark turns its head to the left and then to the right, rubbing itself against her strongly and the proxy obliges, petting it some more. The large body moves to her left side, thick skin brushing against her own soft s/c one as the Great White passes her and then disappears deeper into the water. As her skin still tingles from all the adrenaline, she feels the shark moving under her and then farther away as the young woman swims towards the cliffs.

Her hands press against the rough brown rocks, the next wave trying to push Y/n’s whole body into them. Planting her feet on the rock under the water, the proxy pushes off and climbs the small, one-meter-high elevation before the cliff goes inwards like a natural platform. Her wings, suit and undersuit are still here, right where she left them. The rocks are warm and even the strong sea breeze is nice, but Y/n doesn’t really want to linger here much anymore. She strips, throwing her wet swimsuit onto the rocks and putting on the undersuit that…come to think of it, really is reminiscent of a black diver suit, just having a durable resin-like sole and a bunch of cyber-tech functions. The undersuit adapts to her body as soon as it’s on, pushing out excess air and clinging to Y/n’s body snugly. Next comes the armored suit that transforms the chest- and backplate are connected around Y/n’s torso - nano-particles binding together to cover her body in grey Kevlar-like alien material with matt platinum-coloured armor covering most of that in turn, memory cybermetal combining from thousands of small pieces and forming armor parts. Knockout insisted on black and red, but Y/n said that he’ll have to design a second suit for that to happen.

Finally, her wings snap onto the armor on her back and the proxy activates and unfurls them with a deep breath. She looks towards the water and mentally feels around for the closest large living creature again. The shark is still there and Y/n tries to remember the location of its scars and the feeling of its being. Maybe they’ll meet again someday.

 

Okay, break time is over. Time to get working on that report for Starscream. Oh she hates how he gets when she returns to the Nemesis empty-handed.

 

 

*******

 

 

“…The moon?” Y/n asks, lifting an eyebrow.

“The moon,” Starscream nods, shrugging, “If Lord Megatron returns with reinforcements, we’ll need every available shard of Energon on board.”

There’s a somewhat irritating ambiguity in how Starscream accentuates his words, with him either doubting if the Decepticon lord returns with additional forces or returns _at all_ , but Y/n doesn’t react to it – the best way to annoy the attention-seeking mech.

“True. But are you really going to send _me_ there? We already discovered where the Energon is the last time Lord Megatron departed,” she points out and the seeker leans back in his chair, looking down at Y/n condescendingly.

“That _is_ true…But I have a few sets of coordinates that may lead to some additional deposits. While up there, might as well check for them, don’t you think? What’s wrong, I thought you liked space travel?” the acting commander of the ship smirks, his bright optics narrowing.

“Might as well. And I do,” Y/n replies simply, nodding, “Am I free to pick who I’m travelling with?”

“Are you fr-“ the mech seems flabbergasted, but settles down under her awaiting (and highly amused) gaze, “ _Fine. Whatever._ But it better not affect your productivity, am I understood?”

“Crystal clear,” Y/n assures.

 

 

“ROAD TRIP!”

“TO SPACE!”

“YO WE’RE GOING ON A STARSCREAM-FREE VACATION! WOOO!!”

“Guys, guys,” Y/n chuckles, trying to calm down Bob, Brushfire and Steve who are taking the news of their new mission _extremely_ well. Neil smirks and Kody smiles in excitement. The proxy invited her friends to her room for them to drink their rations and for her to ask them if they’re willing to join her on the moon. And, apparently, everyone was very much happy to get off both Earth and the Nemesis.

“Well I guess all you sparklings need an adult around,” Sevny chuckles then downs the rest of his cube.

“I’m in. Wanted to go last time, anyway,” Steelstrike nods, shrugging, “Just don’t make me do any heavy lifting.”

“Oh you’ll be lifting like the rest of us, I’m keeping my optic on you,” Doomtracks promises, making Steelstrike grimace at him.

“Me, operating a starship basically by myself? Haven’t done that in a looong while, but I’ll brush up on it before we leave!” Kody smiles a somewhat unsure, but eager smile as Neil puts a servo on his shoulder armor.

“You’ll do great.”

“You will! Because there’ll be no Starscream constantly pacing on the bridge,” Brushfire winks at the youngest Vehicon, then looks at Y/n, “Eh…when are we leaving, exactly?”

“The 15th of September. We should be up there for about two weeks, but expect it to last up to a month if the deposits turn out to be buried in some kind of hard-reachable places.”

“Hehe, you guys wanna know about my hard-reacha- Ouch!”

 _“No,”_ Steve cuts flatly, smacking Bobby on his uncovered face to stop him from making a stupid joke and making everyone else smirk or smile.

“You don’t have to come with me, though. If anyone wants to stay on board, that’s completely fine,” the young woman reminds as she looks over everyone, “There’s a very slim chance of it happening, but the Autobots might appear and I’d feel terrible if I put any of you in danger.”

“Well more than half of us are either soldiers or work in the mines, so it’s not like we have less of a chance to run into the Autobots if we stay,” Doomtracks reasons with a shrug, “Kody will stay on board anyhow. And the maintenance mechs can deal.”

“Hey!”

“Hey!”

“We ain’t afraid of no ‘bots!”

“Yeah!”

Sevny rolls his optics as Steve and Bobby focus their attention on ‘Tracks and then looks at Y/n reassuringly.

“Well, I’m going.”

“Yeah, me too!” Kody nods.

“Yep,” Neil nods as well.

“Of course I’m going, that’s two less orns of being under Starscream’s command,” Doomtracks says.

“ _That_ and I wanted to get off the ship for vorns. You aren’t taking this away from me,” Steelstrike smirks.

“Will be fun to work on something that’s not the Nemesis,” Bobby cockily crosses his arms, “ _And_ you need a top-notch mechanic like me.”

“Suuure, Bob,” Brushfire grins, “Sure. And I’m going, fraggin’ road trip to the moon! Of course I’m going!”

“Yeah, I can even be a medic if Brush here manages to land into a crater faceplate-first,” Steve offers, making the proxy look at him in surprise as Bobby barks out a laugh.

“You? Why’d we need you when we have Y/n?”

“No, no, I was thinking on getting someone with, you know, actual cybertronian-sized servos. Somebot who works for Knockout when he needs additional help in the medbay. I didn’t know you were on that list, though, I never saw you in the medbay,” Y/n looks at her first cybertronian friend with curiosity.

“Yiiieeeah,” the mech rubs the back of his helm, “I used to be one of the bots who’d assist the CMO from time to time, when extra servos were needed after bigger battles.”

“Used to?” _Oh no, what did he do?_

“I spilled a can of purple paint on him one time. Barely escaped with my spark. Transferred right after. I’m actually shocked the doc didn’t kill me when he first saw me at your place…”

“Steve, I think he didn't, um, exactly bother to remember you,” Y/n smiles almost apologetically, but the humour of the situation is not lost on her as her smile turns into a full-blown grin when Steve rolls his optics and sighs in mock-irritation that is actually relief.

“Ain’t _that_ the story of our lives?”

“I can remind him if you wan-“

“DON’T.”

 

 

Later in the evening Y/n sits in a chair near the fireplace, her e/c eyes gazing into the flames as she hugs her legs. The cold was never something she struggled with, but it always became much more apparent during the warlord’s absence what a significant source of warmth he was. Her heart feels like she’d give up just about anything to feel that warm metal frame next to her again, but her mind is happy the Decepticon lord is not here right now.

However she looks at the things she heard back in that volcano, it doesn’t fit with what she knows, with what she’s been told. And if those things don’t fit, then…then other things might also not. That’s the reason why she hasn’t told Soundwave about this Agent Fowler. Either the spymaster already knows about him and Megatron hasn’t told Y/n about him for some reason or if Soundwave really doesn't know and finds out about the agent from her, he might go after the human...And Y/n wasn’t sure that would be a good thing. A United States agent working with the Autobots…was he alone or was he really in a group of people who decided to aid the Autobots for some reason? For _what_ reason? Were they offered the same kinds of benefits Y/n was – alien tech to use, information about the universe to gain, the ability to hack into human databases, the ability to travel to the opposite side of the world in seconds or get rich quickly? Or were they offered special treatment if the Autobots tried to take over the planet? Or…or was there another reason? Was it the one agent, a few agents or the entire agency? By the way the Prime spoke, it could very well be the latter. If so, they had to be acting in favour of the country. And if they cooperated with the giant aliens for the good of the country that meant that the Autobots couldn’t possibly be nearly as malicious as Megatron said….Unless Optimus Prime was a gifted manipulator. And Megatron told her Prime was exactly that. But that doesn’t seem to tie in with how the Autobot commander acted inside the volcano, though...

 

Ugh…something was very wrong. Either with her or with those she lived with on the ship.

 

She was embarrassed about the fact that she was relieved to hear that the Autobots escaped that volcano with no casualties. Until she’s sure what’s going on, she’d rather not have their deaths on her hands…however much she might have wished it for the last two years. It was a Pandora’s box – opening herself up to doubts again, questioning everything she had been told and everyone she knew. But there was really no other way.

Aside from getting eight Vehicons she knows on a ship and to the moon, that is. Officers might know more, but are likely to get suspicious more quickly - she'd need to approach any of them with a strategy in mind. The lower-ranking mechs were a weak link she could exploit. Get them alone with her, away from their superiors – with their masks off, ideally - and she’d be able to shake something out of them, Y/n was sure of it. Be they more simple-minded like Bobby, Brush or Doomtracks, more susceptible to kindness like Sevny, Kody or Neil, talkative when their pride was involved like Steelstrike or…or if it was Steve, Y/n studied them over these two years and knew how to make them talk. She’ll either need to be sneaky and manipulative or just push them against the wall, but these guys were her best chance to learn more. And what would be left untold would be completed by their expressions and behaviour.

The young woman sighs.

This might cost her a few friendships, but she needs to figure out what’s going on. Before Megatron returns and wages war against the Autobots on her planet, she needs to know if she’s…She needs to know what's going on.

The cuff bracelet shines in the light of the fireplace and Y/n looks at it, deep n thought. She wants nothing more than to learn that this has all been just a big misunderstanding.

 

 

*******

 

The ambiance of the office space is a faintly familiar one. People typing away at their laptops and PCs, papers rustling, copy machines scanning and printing documents, a phone ringing occasionally, people talking…

 

“Um, miss?”

“Hm?”

Y/n half-turns to look at a slightly lanky young man maybe five years younger than her, a cart full of envelopes, large and small, in front of him as he looks at her nervously.

“Yes?” she offers with a kind smile, even if she’s not sure why he’d need to speak with her. The guy seems to relax a bit and smiles back nervously as he shrugs and nods down to his cart.

“Sorry, I’m, uh, kind of new on the job. Where’s the assistant manager’s room?”

He thought she was an employee? Then again, Y/n couldn’t blame him since she decided to dress in an office-like style in the first place – including, but not limited to a pair of black pumps, a black pencil skirt, a short lantern-sleeved dress shirt, a long necklace that went to her abdomen and a nice wristwatch worn next to her cuff bracelet.

“Oh, I don’t work here, sorry,” Y/n explains as the new employee looks her over, his gaze hooking onto the stack of folders that she was holding to her chest, “I’m waiting for a friend. But I think I saw the office somewhere…”

It takes a second for her to turn her head and cast a look over the huge open space office and spot the assistant manager’s door across the room.

“…Right there. Riiight there,” the proxy smiles as the young man strains his eyesight as he looks in the direction she's showing, “Door between the plant and the water cooler.”

“Oh, okay! Thanks!” the guy nods and hurries off.

As Y/n watches him move across the office for a moment and then shifts her gaze to the large window she was previously staring out of, she thinks that, if things were different, she might have ended up working somewhere similar to her friend these days. The young woman remembers visiting some offices, having internship interviews…That seemed like an eternity ago when in reality it was only two years. She wasn’t completely sure back then if she really wanted to work in an office, but she was considering it and, if someone took her as an intern, it would probably have been fine. Or if she decided to do something else - that would probably have been fine as well. But she could see herself as her friend – working a stable nine-to-five, renting a small apartment, sometimes buying stuff, sometimes going out with friends, sometimes staying in to clean the apartment or just be lazy at home…A perfectly normal human life. Now, however…she wasn’t sure she could ever be able to do this knowing what was _really_ going on on Earth, that one day everything could just collapse because a war between giant alien robots escalated to a point where they didn’t care about being noticed anymore. Y/n sighs.

 

“Hey, sorry for making you wait, let’s get outta here,” her friend appears and passes her as quickly as she talks, the proxy following close behind.

“Everything okay?” Y/n asks quietly as they exit the open space and walk through the foyer.

“Ah, forget it, it’s Friday and I had to be off work half an hour ago,” the other woman sighs in exasperation and then takes a deep breath of warm early September air when they leave the building, “Can you hold onto those folders a little longer? I'm afraid if I take them now I'll freaking rip them into pieces."

"Sure, no worries."  
"Thanks. So you know what I hate?”

“Hm?”

“Fucking blabbermouth gossipers! Argh I’d gladly hang them off the flagpoles,” her friend grumbles as she waves in the direction of the flag poles next to the buildings, the flags having the company’s logo on them, “Oooh, that girl came in the same outfit as yesterday, is she just lazy or did she suddenly decide to spend the night somewhere that’s not home? Was it a booty call? Oh, this girl gained weight, is she binging on fast food or is she pregnant? Ooooh, let’s talk about children, I heard Meghan’s son began smoking! Ah, but the boy’s just twelve! Do you wanna hear about my children who are perfect in every way? And did you hear about the boss? I heard he's balding and goes to some witch to try and make it stop! Oh no, wait, look, there comes Paola, with the slutty makeup, shallow bitch! And there's Tom! I heard he's gay - not that there's anything wrong with that 'of course' - but oooh Tom's gay! And if you think it's only the women talking - oh no no no, the guys are even worse! Uuuuughhhh….”

Y/n looks at her friend with sympathy, but can’t help but be just a little amused by the outburst.

“You okay?...Want a drin-“

“Please!”

 

Soon enough, they’re on the rooftop of a mall, Y/n having invited her friend for drinks. The weather is still warm despite evening setting in, but Y/n’s fairly sure that will change once the sun sets.

 

“And the taxes, oh my god, Y/n _, taxes._ My heart fucking breaks every time I realise how much of my money I’m giving over to the government. I could buy a damn expensive dress and some heels to boot with that. Ugh…” the woman sighs, then looks to the side and down, watching the tiny cars move below, “Like, _right?”_

“Right,” Y/n smiles sympathetically as her chin rests on her hands, her elbows planted on the table. Right… _taxes. Hah._

“Or do you pay any taxes? Do you even have a job, really?” her friend asks as she turns her attention back to Y/n, the proxy’s eyebrows slightly lifting as she waits to hear a reason for the sudden interrogation, “I’ve seen you with that man, Y/n.”

“You’ve seen me with a man, fine,” Y/n admits easily and calmly, “Just out of curiosity, when?”

_‘And why didn’t I pick you out from the crowd? I know how all of you feel…’_

Her friend rolls her eyes.

“Does it matter? A couple of months ago or maybe three? …No, four, it was in April. I was in that bar atop the clock tower, y’know, where they have those stupid tower viewer telescope thingies. Imagine my surprise when I saw you on some scary-looking guy’s arm, all smiling and stuff?”

‘Ah, okay. That makes sense,’ Y/n notes to herself. That’s quite high up and far away, in a city no less - Y/n usually does everything to _not_ sense people around her in crowded places.

“So, when were you planning to tell me you’re living off the money of some sugardaddy?” the other woman asks venomously, with a small ‘hmph’ at the end of her question.

“F/n,” the Nemesis’s resident human looks at her friend steadily, intertwining her fingers and quietly lowering her hands onto the table as she straightens her back, “I know you’re mad at me for not telling you I’m seeing someone, but let me say this first: _You will not disrespect that man in my presence.”_

“It’s serious like that, then? Huh,” her friend doesn’t seem overly surprised - she seems mostly relieved, even, “Well then I maybe still know you a little bit.”

“A little bit?”

“Y/n, wake up. You disappear completely for four months out of everyone’s lives, then come back like nothing’s happened, looking like you’re a fucking supermodel, but suddenly you’re all busy and all covered in terms of money, and now I see you with that guy? What am I _supposed_ to think?” the woman frowns, looking into Y/n’s eyes, “Were you ever in any trouble in the first place or was that some trick to get rid of everyone for a few months? Did you even miss your friends while you were away? Did you miss _me?_ Do you even care anymore what happens in my life? Are we still even friends?”

Oh it would be so easy to think this outburst was the fault of those four cocktails her overstressed friend downed, but Y/n knows that this was bound to happen – someone from her friend circle would feel left out because of how Y/n’s lifestyle changed. She was probably lucky until now that, while her life was being turned upside down, her other friends were busy finishing or beginning their higher education/starting new jobs/building relationships/starting families/travelling/partying/all of it simultaneously. And that most of them were understanding of her situation once she came back, even if she had to explain herself to those she made worry. That was more than a year and a half ago, though, the proxy was sure she dealt with it a long time ago and that no one held grudges. Apparently, she was wrong.

“Of course we’re still friends,” Y/n assures, then sighs, “I…listen, when I had to leave, things really seemed like I royally screwed up and had to go into hiding. I took care of it, though.”

“That much you’ve said,” the woman huffs, rolling her eyes, “Apparently, there were other things you ‘forgot’ to mention. Or are we just simple acquaintances that you don’t find it important enough to tell me about your love life? I’ve told you everything! You were like the third person I called after I and Alex broke up last week!”

Ah, _there_ it is. With the break up, of course F/n would feel more neglected and more inclined to argue about something. Though, Y/n was still to blame for some actions, too, of course. And, while her friend’s tone is very frustrating and she certainly wasn’t always telling Y/n ‘everything’ about her life, the proxy keeps herself composed. One of them has to be right now.

“And I’m thankful you did, really, F/n,” the proxy tells the woman, looking her in the eye, “I want to know how you are, I care about you, you’re my friend.”

“Yeah, then why don’t you tell me anything about yourself, huh?”

 

 _Because giant metal aliens who’d probably kill you if you learned of their existence, F/n!  
_ There's a nagging thought scratching at the back of her mind that she had way, way more important things to worry about what was going on right now, but Y/n stuffs that thought as far back as she can - if she starts thinking like that she might as well stay locked up in her mansion and not talk to anyone at all.

 

“I _did_ tell you,” Y/n sighs, “You said I returned and now am all busy? Yes, because now I have a very demanding job. That pays well. Logical, right? And yes, the man you saw me with is someone I’m seeing. I didn’t tell you about him because he explicitly asked me not to tell anyone about us just yet.”

“ _Why,_ though?”

“I work in the military. He works in the military. The relationship is relatively new. He’s my boss. We don’t want to make the relationship public until we figure some things out. Take your pick,” Y/n lists off, speaking mostly the truth. The other young woman looks her over, bites the side of her lower lip, then crosses her arms and sits back in the chair, looking to the side.

“Still…I mean, I guess… _I guess_ if it was me I’d do the same.”

 

Y/n brings her hands back to her face and looks at the evening city, giving her friend some time to process and come to a decision whether Y/n’s reasons are enough or not for her. She’s worried what F/n decides on, but she can’t really do much more right now. The sky is pink near the horizon, peach farther away from it and still bright blue above them while the sun has already disappeared behind the buildings, casting its last rays onto the rare, thin clouds, colouring them gold. Despite the still bright sky, the city is already in twilight, the streets seeming greyish blue as white, red and yellow car lights move in different directions.

 

Y/n looks back to her friend and sees her chewing on her lower lip, tears in her eyes. Oh no, Y/n didn’t want her to feel bad about anything-

 

“You know what, I really envy you,” F/n says with a joyless, bitter smirk, “Your problems just seemed to magically disappear! Found a job, found a man, looking great - life’s perfect!”

“It’s not that simple,” the proxy tries to explain, somewhat caught off-guard by her friend’s conclusion and sudden change of topic, “I’ve told you, I’ve been through some _stressful_ times and my work is-“

“Yeah yeah, you’re work’s also real stressful. Sure, with your boss boyfriend looking over you, _sure, Y/n.”_

 _“Listen_. Either you believe me and let me explain _or_ you think up your own version of me and convince yourself that’s who I am. You can’t have it both ways,” Y/n warns calmly, but getting tired of trying to reason with the woman already.

“Well aren’t you smart,” the other woman rolls her eyes, “I bet your _boss_ really likes that. Everyone is always sooo glad to talk to Y/n, even Alex was like ‘ooh, Y/n’s knew about that thing I mentioned!’”

 

_What does that have to do with anything? When was the last time she even spoke to Alex, half a year ago?..._

 

“Okay. Is this about you being mad about something I’ve done or something Alex did?” her e/c eyes narrow slightly as the proxy tries to keep the conversation on track, “You should talk to him, then. You can’t blame me for being able to just discuss some random topic, okay? Let’s be reasonable.”

“Oooh, ‘let’s be reasonable’,” F/n mocks, lifting her glass to check for some leftover drink then puts the empty glass down in annoyance, “You know what…I’m tired. You can act all sympathetic when I call you or treat me to drinks, but the Y/n that _I_ knew _always_ had time for me when I was heartbroken.”

“That was the Y/n from highschool - the one who’s biggest problem was the curfew her parents had for her,” the proxy reasons, lifting an eyebrow.

“ _And_ didn’t have a rich man to spend all her time with. Suddenly not so much time for friends, huh?” F/n offers, very certain of her words, “I somehow always had time when I was dating Alex.”

_Okay, now you’re just talking hypocritical bullshit._

 

“ _Actually,”_ the Y/n reminds, “Excluding when we met right after your break up, the last time we met was after two months of you ‘rainchecking’ me because your and Alex’s plans always came first.”

“Well what, I had to put my friends over _my boyfriend?”_

 _“_ And, by that logic, you’re accusing me of…?”

 

It wasn’t really fair to argue with a drunk person while fully sober, but Y/n was fairly sure she already knew how this conversation would end anyway. What she first thought was a more or less reasonable complaint spiralled down into a complete farce and, if she was honest with herself, she’d rather this would all just be over than continue to listen to accusation after accusation. She only had so much patience, after all, before she reminded the other woman she was overstepping. And rudeness was something Y/n disliked a lot.

F/n looks insulted and almost immediately stands up, grabs her purse and folders and then storms off, throwing a quiet, spiteful ‘Just fuck you, Y/n,' over her shoulder for good measure. Her heels hit the floor hard as she passes a waiter, who quickly steps to the side and follows her with a surprised and irritated gaze after she very nearly hits him with her shoulder. He then comes up to Y/n and she apologises, then orders herself some dessert, proceeding to eat it while it gets even darker and the rooftop café switches on its many lights. She supports her head with one hand while she holds her phone with the other, answering messages from some of her friends, both human and cybertronian. Sometimes, she puts the phone to the side to grab a spoon and eat some of the dessert. She sees a ‘deep’ status update from F/n a bit later and, whether they ever talk again or not, she’s relieved to know that the young woman at least got home safely. That’s good. _Now_ Y/n can let her go out of her life.

Maybe, this was for the best. She did what she could, right? Sometimes, school friendships just ended after school was over, her and F/n were drifting apart in the last couple of years anyway. Still, a shame it had to go this way. And the day started out so well…

Megatron would have had a field day with this, she thinks, he'd tell how humans are stupid and how she should pay the foolish, envious woman no mind. Good thing he wasn’t here, though – she really is in no mood to discuss this right now. Then again…Megatron would be the only one she could have _really_ vented to if she wanted. But she totally doesn’t need to. She’ll be fine, she just needs some space. Taking some other food with her, the proxy ‘bridges to her mansion and makes herself comfortable on the sofa, letting her anger and frustration slowly seep out of her as she mindlessly watches Netflix in a dark room and eats an unhealthy amount of dessert. 

 

 

***

 

“You know, Whitney, things were simpler before,” Y/n says quietly, almost in a whisper, as she sits on the floor of a small yacht, her feet dangling off board and touching the water, “For one, I at least had someone to talk to whenever I was feeling like I was going insane. _Sure,_ I can be introverted to a fault, but knowing there’s no one I can even potentially go to while it feels like the world is nothing like I thought it was…this is the summer from two years ago all over again.”

The deep blue water splashes against the white hull weakly in response, the yacht rocking ever so lightly.

“And if not _that_...Well, I can partially rant to Knockout, Breakdown or the Vehicons about F/n, but I can’t really talk to them about the 'Megatron' aspects of that. Soundwave...It feels like it's too stupid a topic to bring up with him. And I just, I can't talk to him as freely right now, y’know?…I mean, there’s you, but you’re not exactly interested in my problems, are you? You’re here because I’m treating you to dinner,” the young woman sighs and chuckles sadly, reaching back and grabbing a large one-meter-long seabass from a crate nearby. She takes the recently caught fish by the tail and dips its head into the water. Quietly - terrifyingly quiet for its size - a large Great White emerges from the water next to Y/n’s feet and grabs onto the fish, disappearing with it once the proxy lets go.

“But, then again, at least you’re honest about it.”

Honesty. There seem to be too many lies in her life these days - the lies she has to tell to keep cybertronian presence on Earth a secret, the lies she tells to keep her and Megatron's relationship a secret, the lies the Decepticon lord and his subordinates may have told her...The young woman sighs and flops onto her back, looking at the white fluffy clouds that float unhurriedly to the east. The boat rocks lightly, water gently splashing over the hull.

‘Maybe…Maybe it doesn’t have to be like this? I can’t tell _them_ everything, but I can tell them about this…I’m still on Earth, after all,’ Y/n thinks to herself. Something hits the side of the yacht, making it lean more to one side and then another just a bit more.

“It’s the last one, by the way!” Y/n announces as if the Great White could understand her while she reaches behind herself and throws a large fish overboard, the scaly body flying a good five meters away from the yacht’s stern. Thoughtfully, the young woman lifts herself onto her elbows and watches the fish’s corpse land into the water with a splash. Almost immediately, an almost six meter long shark shoots out of the water, the fish in its jaws and the shark’s white belly glistening in the sunlight before Whitney crashes back into the ocean. The proxy gives a few thoughtful claps, impressed by the display.

 

*******

“ _How_ am I _supposed_ to be the ‘rational one’, when some people insist on acting like idiots?” Y/n asks as she goes from one side of her parents’ kitchen to the other, both her hands lifting and raising in a kind of slow chopping motion while the girl looks ahead of herself, “I mean, you spotted me with a man – oh wow, Y/n lives off some guy’s salary! And even if I did – which I don’t – everyone lives how they want! If F/n lived off her partner’s earnings, I’d just hope she was happy living the way she does.”

“That’s the point, though,” her mother inclines her head slightly as she eats the meal Y/n prepared while she waited for the older woman to return from work, “F/n doesn’t. Maybe she secretly wanted to, who knows? Usually, the first things people think of are things that are already somewhere in the back of their minds.”

“Mhh,” Y/n sighs and sits onto a chair, “Sorry. Have dinner first, mom, we can talk about it later.”

“I’m willing to multitask,” M/n smiles and impales a slice of tomato and some pieces of iceberg lettuce onto her fork, “Amazing tomatoes, by the way! Where are these from?”

“Plantation in a small town on the outskirts of Rome,” Y/n smiles.

“So those Super-Bio-Eco-Tomatoes,” her mother smirks, “But yeah, I’m all ears. A shame F/n got so envious and bitter, though, I hoped she’d grow out of those habits when you both finished school.”

Y/n plants her elbow onto the table and presses her chin into her palm as she looks to the side and sighs.

“I just…I know I messed up real bad and caused some worries when I disappeared, but…I mean, if there’s anyone I need to apologize to for the rest of my life, it’s _you guys._ Friends got the real light-hearted version of the explanation - most of them weren’t even that worried!”

“You don’t have to apologize for the 400th time, sunshine,” M/n waves her off with a gentle smile that looks adorable because there’s salad sauce in the corner of her lips, “All that matters is that you’re okay. But don’t you _ever_ do that again. Also, please pass me a napkin.”

 

It feels like Starscream himself got a hold of her heart and was now using it as a stress ball, but Y/n smiles back as she reaches out, grabs a paper napkin from the corner of the table and hands it to her mother.

 

“Sure fun how F/n voiced her worries almost two years after you already returned…” M/n says after she presses the corner of the napkin to her mouth, then puts the napkin away to continue her meal.

“ _Right?_ And after she happened to see me with someone.”

“And _after_ she and Alex broke up. Suddenly, you’re not giving her enough time of day.”

“On top of having _absolutely no problems in my life!_ ” the young woman rolls her eyes.

“Oh no, absolutely none at all,” her mother nods in mock seriousness but then smiles, “It’s a shame everything happened like this, but maybe it’s for the best.”

“I know what you mean and you know I would’ve let it go long ago, it’s just…you know…” Y/n presses her lips together and looks at the older woman, knowing she doesn’t even need to continue.

“I know, sunshine,” M/n nods in understanding as she stands up from the table and brings her empty plate and salad bowl to the dishwasher, “But people change - the girl with the long braid from middle school will always be in your memories, but memories alone can’t sustain relationships.”

“Truuue,” Y/n sighs, “I’m not even…It’s not like I want to still be friends, I have no problem cutting her out of my life. I’m just angry, I guess. If it was someone I had less good memories with, I would have already let it go.”

“Angry? Nah, you don’t get angry,” her mother teases, “You don’t care about anyone, remember?”

“Oh, right, I don’t. Ever. About anyone.”

Both women chuckle and M/n takes a teapot off the shelf and looks over the kinds of tea they have at home.

“Hmm…green okay with you?”

“I don’t care about anything, remember?...Hah, green’s perfect, mom.”

The dried tea leaves are dropped into the teapot and the switch of the electric kettle snaps as M/n switches it on.

“You’ll be fine, sunshine. It’s okay to be angry, don’t lock it all up inside. We’re both guilty of doing that.”

“Mrs. L/n, what are you talking about, you’re a damn perfect lady - you don’t get angry. I’m pretty sure people think you don’t know what a swear word is.”

“Fuck.”

 _“MOM,”_ Y/n barks out a laugh from her mother’s sudden and absolutely flatly-delivered swearing, making the older woman grin.

“Oh, did I ever tell you the story of my classmate and the tomatoes?”

“The one where it’s the winter in 80’s and grandpa brought Spanish tomatoes from the harbour?”

“Yup, and I brought a friend home and offered her three out of our remaining eight. They were so red and smelled incredible. She ate three and the next day the whole school knew that ‘M/n is a greedy food-hoarder’.”

“Sometimes, people won’t be satisfied even if you put extra effort into being nice,” Y/n sighs and looks up into her mother’s eyes, “And yes, I realize that this story is meant to tie into my situation with F/n.”

 

M/n chuckles and then turns towards the open door to the kitchen when the front door of the house opens.

 

“Oh, look who’s back from the garage,” she smiles as the sound of dropped off garden shoes are heard from the foyer, “Honey, you want some tea?”

“Yeah. Black.”

“We’re drinking green!”

“Green,” Y/n’s father says with the same exact tone as his first pick as he passes the kitchen, stopping in the doorway when he sees his daughter, “Hey, you’re still here.”

“Y/n made dinner,” M/n announces in a chipper voice.

“Then I’ll have dinner _and_ tea,” the man says, “So what were you talking about?”

“Y/n and F/n decided to go their separate ways,” the older woman informs, shrugging.

“…Who?”

 Y/n rolls her eyes in mock exasperation.

“Classmate? Used to visit back during my school days? Accidentally drank your can of Coke one time?”

“Oh, _that_ one,” the man smirks, “Well, it sure took you a while, but you got her out of our lives. No one drinks my Coke and gets away with it.”

Y/n smirks as well and then shares a look with her mother once her father goes upstairs to change out of his garage clothes.

“Dad was always the best at reassurances,” she says to the other woman quietly, inclining her head in her mother’s direction as if they were conspiring. M/n steps closer, lowering her voice as well.

“You know, I think for a minute there he had a system error and thought you were still in school.”

“Oh, wouldn’t _that_ be nice,” Y/n chuckles, “…No, it wouldn’t.”

“No, it really wouldn’t. I still have nightmares of having to take my end-of-the-year chem exam,” M/n rolls her eyes and shudders.

“I recently woke up from a nightmare that Roberto from senior year wanted to date me,” Y/n deadpans, looking at her mother in silent horror as the latter starts laughing.

“Oh that was one weird boy! Good on you for not being mean to him, though!”

“It took…a bit…of patience...” Y/n closes her eyes, taking a deep, heavy breath for no reason other than to be a bit dramatic before she hears her father’s footsteps coming from the stairs.

“So I forgot. What grade are you in?”

“DAD.”

“Heheh.”

 

*******

 

“Here he comes-”

“Tshh-shhh!”

“Heheh-“

 

The moment Knockout comes back from the back room of the medbay and crosses the doorway, Breakdown lets a song play, the speakers they discreetly installed all over the medbay making the sound come from all around:

 

_Who’s that sexy thing I see over there?_

_That’s me, standing in the mirror!_

 

Both Y/n and Breakdown have the hugest, stupidest grins on their faces, barely able not to laugh or chuckle as the cherry red mech walks towards them, one of his black optic ridges lifting as he smiles at them in a mix of amusement and smugness.

 

_What's that icy thing hangin' 'round my neck?_

_That's gold, show me some respect, oh-hoo~_

 

The doctor smirks then stands in front of them as he plants his weight onto one leg and puts a servo on his hip, clearly posing as he looked at them like they were a couple of mischievous sparklings.

 

_Oooh I thank God every day  
That I woke up feelin' this way!_

  
  
Both Y/n and Breakdown start giggling through their grins while Knockout looks them over with a thoughtful smirk…and suddenly arches his back, pushing his aft back and puts both his servos on his hips while he winks at them. The blue mech finally breaks out into thunderous laughter while Y/n hides her face in her hands as her shoulders shake.

 

_And I can't help lovin' myself  
And I don't need nobody else, nuh uh!_

  
  
“Primus, this is gold!” Breakdown laughs while his partner throws both of them a sly grin and wiggles his optic ridges, one of his pedes tapping to the song that suits him so perfectly.

 

 _If I was you, I'd wanna be me, too_  
_I'd wanna be me, too_  
_I'd wanna be me, too!_

  
  
Y/n looks through her fingers and then takes her hands off her face, watching the doctor as he leans forward, putting a perfectly polished index digit under Y/n’s chin and carefully lifting her head a little while soundlessly mouthing to the song with a smirk. The young woman chuckles and shrugs.

“Who wouldn’t, though?” she asks with a smirk and gets a pleased smile from Knockout as his digit leaves her and his servo gently lifts and brushes over Breakdown’s cheek playfully, making the bruiser stop laughing, instead chuckling as he looks at the red mech appreciatively. Those two are adorable. And in a great mood. Good.

Their usual shenanigans in the medbay last for a while more before Y/n offers they all go somewhere. What she meant was ‘let’s go for a ride somewhere’. Of course, what the duo from the medbay heard was ‘let’s go cause some trouble’. They eventually find themselves on a pier of an old, abandoned fishing town but not before spending some of the night scaring people (mostly teenagers) and letting the urban legends of ‘driverless cars possessed by ghosts’ stay relevant.

 

“And the look on that human with the stupid green cap!” Breakdown says, slapping his knee as he laughs, both Y/n and Knockout chuckling as they remember the one the blue mech is talking about.

“That’ll teach those humans not to touch something that’s so _way_ out of their league,” Knockout says smugly, gesturing dismissively with his servo as he pulls one of his legs closer to his chassis. All three of them are sitting on the stone pier and the water around them is still, not even lightly splashing against the pier and making this early September night seem even more peaceful as the stars shine down onto them.

“Knockout, you parked in the parking lot of an abandoned mall in a bad neighbourhood, that’s what was going to happen!” Y/n grins, shaking her head, “Then again, we _were_ counting on them trying to steal you.”

“Steal my mech – I Think Not!” Breakdown jokingly grumbles and the medic shoots him a mischievous, pleased look.

“Oooh, are we getting jealous?”

“More like imagining how I’d never hear the end of it if they touched your recently buffed armor.”

“Pah! Oily organic fingers on _my_ finish? I Think Not!”

All of them smirk and Y/n reaches out to her right, her fingertips able to reach the doctor’s leg as she sits between the two cybertronians. She touches the silvery metal of his outer thigh and looks up at him with curious expectation and Knockout rolls his eyes with a playful huff.

“You’re a different thing, doll,” he says and then looks at Breakdown and drops his voice, “Do you have any cleaning cloths in your sub space?”

“You aft!” Y/n slaps the metal with a grin and to her left the blue bruiser’s frame starts to shake as he laughs, making both her and Knockout look over at him and chuckle. She then adjusts her hair that a warm sea breeze threw out of place and looks up at the stars.

 

The Perseid meteor shower has come and gone – Y/n spent some nights on the landing deck of the Nemesis watching it, as well one night camping out with Arthur, since the  idea with a larger gathering fell through due to people being busy with other stuff. Even better for Y/n, really, she enjoyed getting her childhood friend to herself and talking to him about their memories and their current lives. Who knows, that might have been the last time she got to do that. Tonight, however, Venus, Uranus and Neptune are clearly visible in the sky, bright spheres glowing brightly among the stars - yellow, whitish-yellow and bluish-white in colour respectively. Looking to her sides discreetly, Y/n sees that both mechs are also looking up, their optics bright in the night. It’s so peaceful, Y/n thinks as she stays silent for just a while longer, remembering the moment.

 

“Today was a fun day,” she says quietly, smiling a little, “No Autobots, no patients, even no Starscream stomping into the medbay.”

“Yeah…” Breakdown agrees, lifting his massive arms up and stretching. Y/n can hear the metal in his backstrut make a very quiet grinding sound - its metal vertebrae stretch and then settle back into place as the mech sets his servos back onto the concrete behind himself, “Good to relax a bit. ‘specially after chasing some humans around.”

“Yes, well, you both know I prefer bright city lights and newly paved streets…But this is nice, too,” Knockout says with joking graciousness and a little smirk, “I can’t help but indulge my favourite losers, after all~”

“Losers, huh?” Y/n lifts an eyebrow, “Well then, Breakdown, it seems our buffing and servo-polishing favours are no longer appreciated.”

“Yep,” Breakdown shrugs, “Whatcha wanna do with all this free time we’re gonna have?”

“You like fishing?”

“I once caught an esletherd while on Elleriqis-4, so what do ya think?”

“I have no idea what you just said, but I’m guessing that’s a 'yes'-“

 

Both Y/n and Breakdown turn to see Knockout glaring at them, optics turned to tiny slits and lips pressed together disapprovingly.

“I am making this very clear: _Primus help you_ if you meant all that seriously.”

 

Y/n looks up to meet the look of yellow optics and grins spread on both their faces before they look back at Knockout.

“You could come fishing with us?” Breakdown offers.

“Yep, to show us how much you appreciate us~” Y/n moves her shoulder playfully in the medic’s direction. Said medic looks over both of them and then covers his optics with his right servo while shaking his helm slowly.

“You two really _are_ losers,” he says quietly, “You’re _my_ losers, though.”

“Aaaaw,” both Y/n and Breakdown say in unison and the Nemesis's chief medical officer takes his servo off his face as he rolls his optics.

“I am not going fishing, though. Yuck,” he announces.

“We’ll think of something else, right?” Breakdown says as he puts his servo on his partner’s shoulder armor and looks down at the proxy with a wink.

“Totally,” she winks back and they look back to be met with Knockout’s highly unenthusiastic expression, making them chuckle.

“Say, guys,” the young woman says a more seriously as she looks at both mechs, “Can I tell you something?”

“Hm?” Knockout raises an optic ridge while Breakdown’s helm tilts to the side a bit.

“Sure, kid, what’s on your mind?”

“This is really important. I’m not telling anyone else, so I need you to promise me you’ll keep it a secret,” the proxy asks of them and watches the two Decepticons share a look and then look back at her, their expressions just a bit confused.

“No problem, doll,” Knockout speaks for both of them while Breakdown nods.

“Knockout, Breakdown, I wouldn’t ask, but I need you to understand – this is something I’m not sharing with anyone else on board,” Y/n tells them as she gets on her feet and puts her arms around herself, “I just...Promise me you won’t tell _anyone?”_

 

Now both of them look truly confused.  
  
  
“Y/n, ya okay? Did something happen?” the blue mech asks.

“Was it Starscream? If it was Screamer, I swear I’ll-“ Knockout starts, but then promptly goes silent as Y/n shakes her head. They’re worry - that’s so nice of them.

“No no, nothing like that. Everything is fine,” Y/n says gently, gives both cybertronians a small reassuring smile and looks to the water, farther and farther until her eyes meet the barely-visible line of the horizon. Is she being a bit too dramatic? Maybe. But she needs them to feel like she’s being honest with them to a degree that leaves her feeling vulnerable. She needs them to fully feel that she trusts them like she trusts no one else on the ship.

“Okay, I promise,” she hears Breakdown say.

“Promise,” Knockout follows a somewhat long moment later, “Now tell us what’s going on.”

The young woman closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of salty ocean air before turning back and looking up at the mechs.

“I wanted to bring you off the Nemesis tonight because I knew Soundwave would be taking a break to recharge and there would be absolutely no possibility that he’d find out I told you this.”

Did she really think Soundwave would spy on her while she’s routinely hanging out with Knockout and Breakdown, after two years of her living on the ship no less? No, he had better things to do, even if he wasn’t currently recharging. But she needs the two mechs to think that she’s looking out for them, that despite being friendly with the communications officer they’re the ones she trusts the most. She sees both Knockout and Breakdown give her quizzical looks and the medic’s lips press together – he was getting impatient.

“I know I should just go on and say it already, it’s just- I wanted to tell you guys for _so_ long, I hope you won’t get in trouble for knowing about this, but I can’t keep these kinds of impactful secrets from you,” the proxy explains, probably catching the red mech a bit off guard with voicing what he might have been thinking because he lifts his optic ridges and parts his lips slightly. Breakdown, on the other hand, seems to clench his dentas in determination as he looks at the small, wingless and armorless human standing next to him and his partner. Y/n smiles a little sad smile as she looks down, then sighs and looks back at the two Decepticons.

 

“So…Thing is, I'm actually romantically involved with-“

 _“You’re dating Soundwave,_ I knew it!” Knockout says with a sigh of relief and smiles at her smugly as his faceplates relax, “Primus, Y/n, you could have said it was about you dating someone, that’s not scary at all. Weird, considering your choice of mech, but not-“

“Megatron.”

“Beg your pardon?” the red mech asks her, not getting it at all while Breakdown’s jaw drops and his mouth is left hanging open.

“Megatron,” Y/n repeats steadily, “Not Soundwave. Megatron.”

The red parts of Knockout’s optics seem to go dim for a nanosecond, then regain their brightness as his cheekplate twitches and he leans back, looks at Breakdown’s face that is stuck in a terrified expression, then looks back at the young woman.

“You WHAT?!” he all but yells as he leans forward again. His optics are so very wide, his entire face seemingly becomes even whiter as he then suddenly gets really, really quiet while Breakdown gets louder instead, his cooling fans activating as he looks down at Y/n in disbelief.

“Hey, kid, don’t joke with a face like that, yer too convincing,” the blue mech gives a little nervous laugh that fades into silence as the proxy moves her steady gaze to his optics, “…You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Y/n nods. Knockout seems to just be sitting there, looking over her with wide optics while Breakdown looks like he wants to either shout at her or say something, his internal struggle very much visible on his face. He’s just about to speak when Knockout beats him to it:

“So…how long?”

“Since my first year on the Nemesis. November,” the proxy replies, watching both mechs’ chassis simultaneously move as they suck in air through their intakes.

“What the frag,” Breakdown finally speaks and his voice is that of someone’s world just turned upside down. Y/n imagined it did – _the_ Lord Megatron being with a small organic? Must be quite the shock. At least, she hopes that’s the only reason for their reaction.

“Did he…was it…” Knockout, so uncharacteristically for him, has lost both his smooth behaviour and his eloquence, just looking at her with an expression that she can’t quite decipher. Frustration? Worry? Anger? “Are you okay with it?”

“Yes,” the young woman nods immediately, “It just…happened. But yes, I wanted it.”

The medic leans back and puts his elbow on his knee, looking at Y/n like she’s some kind of completely different, alien (hah) thing than just a minute ago. Breakdown, however, moves forward, both his massive servos moving to both sides of her as he gestures, bringing his servos up and down in confusion.

“HOW?” he asks and there is static in his voice, so he clears his throat and continues, yellow optics shining bright, “How in the pits, Y/n? What the..How?”

He, too, seems like he’s somewhere between shocked, angry and completely at a loss, but there is more and more worry seeping through his voice.

“…Somehow?” Y/n shrugs, crossing her arms, “Don’t _you_ know how it goes when you fall in love?”

“Well not _with Megatron!”_ Knockout exclaims in exasperation.

 _“Well, why not?”_ the proxy asks calmly, looking over both mechs carefully, looking both of them in the optics, and they fall silent then look at each other, then back at her.

“Doll, Y/n, you eh…Ugh..” Knockout sighs, sounding both tired and anxious at the same time as he looks to Breakdown to…to what? To make him say something or warn him _not_ to say something?

“Yes?” Y/n lifts an eyebrow, acting like she doesn’t have any suspicions at all, “Do you have questions or do you want to tell me how I’m not deserving of someone like your lord?”

“It’s not that!” Breakdown says quickly and then groans, puts his servo to his forehead and drags his face over his palm as if he has a major headache, “Arghh, Y/n…It’s just, ugh..”

“Megaton is not exactly known to like organics, doll,” Knockout is the one to regain his composure first and now looks at her with extreme curiosity while a bit of confusion still lingers on his faceplate, “I don’t think you realise how unbelievable what you just told us is.”

“Well, I’m not lying. Not sure how I’d prove it to you, though,” the proxy shrugs, “Didn’t you think it was just a little bit suspicions he didn’t grow tired of me in two years?”

“Yeah well, we thought he grew to treat you okay and just, I don’t know, have you there for entertainment, I don’t know!” the blue mech tells her as he throws his arms up in the air and the red one sighs loudly.

“Seems there was far more _entertainment_ than we thought…Slag,” he hisses, looking to the side, “If it was anybot _other than_ _him,_ I would have picked up on it, I would have at least thought about it!”

They all stay silent for a while, both yellow and red optics looking to and from Y/n as the proxy watches both of them carefully.

“So…you, eh…you sure you’re both on the same page about what it is? The thing between you two, I mean,” Breakdown asks and the young woman was sure that Knockout would have asked it first, but apparently no.

“Pretty sure,” the proxy nods and allows herself a small smile, “I won’t be telling you any details, but yes, I’m sure.”

 

Knockout and Breakdown look at each other wordlessly and then back at her.

 

“There’s just…so many aspects,” the cherry-colored doctor gives a nervous laugh, “Did you, well, discuss the circumstances? I mean, there’s a war and it’s on Earth right now, it’s all real messy business.”

Better think on her reply carefully now.

“We do discuss the war a lot,” Y/n says with a slight incline of her head, “But mostly strategies. What would need to be done if the Autobots, say, try to take over Earth. He tells me he’ll do what is necessary to defeat them, though, so at least I can sleep easy knowing that. After all, I don’t think I’d survive it if my planet, my home, experienced an apocalypse because of this war. I know I’m not an equal to him in terms of strategical genius, though, so he doesn’t tell me too much. We do often discuss how Cybertron could be restored, though! That I like a lot, even if I still haven’t made a decision if I’d be there to see those plans realised…”

The young woman gives a small, unsure shrug, chuckles quietly and sees the optics of both her friends widen even more.

“Wait…you’re thinking of leaving Earth?” Breakdown asks.

“Well, as I said, I can’t bring myself to decide quite yet – this is my home, after all, everything I know and love is here. Well, except for you guys, the others and Megatron, of course,” the young woman says, offering a smile to Knockout as well, pretending not to notice the shadow that seemed to have fallen over his face, “But I’m really considering it! After all, I want to help with restoring your home after the Decepticons drive the Autobots off mine.”

Not a word of these last few sentences is a lie. It just doesn’t take into consideration Y/n’s recent suspicions and feelings, so if it turns out this all has been a big misunderstanding, she doesn’t even has to feel guilty that she said all these nice things to the mechs. That thought lets her continue as she looks up at them with her e/c eyes, smiling warmly.

“And, well, now that you finally know I feel just a little more convinced that I should go.”

“Well _we_ shouldn’t be the deciding factor,” Knockout quickly tells her as he waves his servos and smirks softly, “Right, Breakdown?...Breakdown?”

The blue mech looks at her, his shoulders slumped somewhat as he frowns and sighs heavily. That makes Knockout start talking again immediately:

“Anyway~ You sure shocked us, doll. We uh, need some more info from you to know how we feel on the matter. At least, I sure do,” the doctor’s voice regains the signature smooth tones while he pats Breakdown’s forearm armor slowly, “Breakdown here is shocked beyond words, as you can see.”

“Ask away,” Y/n uncrosses her arms and opens them to accentuate her willingness to be honest, “Just don’t get _too_ personal.”

“Trust me, it’s going to be a while before I’m comfortable about thinking about the two of you and ‘too personal’,” Knockout tells her a little too seriously, but then huffs and rolls his optics, “Primus… _everything makes so much sense now._ How didn’t I see it? If it was any other mech-!”

“Do you love him?” Breakdown suddenly asks, both the doctor and his human assistant looking at him in surprise. The proxy clasps her hands behind her back and nods, her eyes and voice steady as she looks at the blue mech.

“I do.”

“Why?”

Yellow optics narrow and she can feel red ones on her as well as she answers:

“I...There are a lot of reasons, Breakdown. It all happened so suddenly at first, looking back I can’t believe how quickly everything escalated. For you guys, it must seem even crazier.”

 

Y/n quickly lowers and lifts her gaze as she knows that she hasn’t really answered the mech’s question. She could say that she fell head over heels in love with their lord, that by now she loves and misses him so much it hurts, despite the worry and suspicions she carries in her heart and mind after overhearing the Autobots talking. Maybe she’ll tell them that later, after she’s sure what’s going on. Right now, she needs to say something that will make it difficult for them not to start talking – if not right now, then after this conversation gets replayed in their memory during her absence.

 

“He’s Megatron,” the proxy sighs, “He’s smart and passionate about what he believes in, and he treats me in a way that leaves no doubt that he wants me to stay. I know there is a world of difference between me and him, but I…What do you want me to say, I’m in love. I know he might be…harsh..”

The way both Knockout’s and Breakdown’s optics narrow just a bit at that statement doesn’t escape her attention. An understatement, huh?

“…but he is kind to me. He tells me he wants to free my planet from the Autobots, to undo all the terrible things they did to Cybertron and lead your planet to prosperity. I can’t help but feel I want to help him rebuild your home too.”

Bringing a bit of levity to her reply, Y/n shrugs and adds:

“He also has those beautiful optics and a voice that makes me feel like my brain completely switches off.”

“…Haven’t heard anybot talk about our fearsome leader like that,” Knockout smirks, looking Y/n over, “The ‘switched off brain’ sounds like a problem, though, want me to take a look at it?”

“The way you looked when I told you the news, one could say _you’re_ the ones requiring medical assistance,” Y/n smirks as well then looks over to Breakdown who sits with his arms crossed, “You okay there, friend?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the mech replies slowly with a sigh, leaning forward and reaching out. The young woman hops onto his servo immediately and once she’s brought to Knockout’s and Breakdown’s optic level, she looks from one pair of optics to the other expectantly.

“You’re just…so...tiny,” Knockout mutters, “Even Megatron’s holomatter avatar is like two times bigger, how in the Allspark do you-“

“He’s not ' _two_ times bigger' and perfectly well, thank you for the concern,” Y/n says quickly as she crosses her arms, making it obvious that the conversation is over…Or is it? “…I mean it, _perfectly well.”_

“Ok-kaaay, now that mental image is in my processor. Breakdown, I’ll probably need you to apply your hammer to my helm later,” the doctor jokes while the other mech doesn’t so much as chuckle.

“Breakdown? You okay?” Y/n asks gently, “Are you angry at me for keeping this from you?”

 _“I not mad at you, Y/n,”_ the bruiser sighs, then shakes his helm as Knockout looks at him carefully, “It’s nothing, kid. Just really surprised, I guess. All that talk about our race being so superior and organics being _blegh_ and look who now decides he needs you to stick around.”

“Well, it’s not exactly like he grew to like all organics more. I guess I’m the lucky exception,” Y/n shrugs.

“Yeah, ‘lucky’,” Breakdown says slowly, then seems to get a grip and offers her a small smile, “You, eh, careful with that decision you make, though.”

“What Breakdown means is that being stuck with us on the Nemesis for Unicron knows how long is one pit of an endeavour,” Knockout adds with a shrug.

“True,” Y/n nods readily, “Listen, I know you guys are worried about me being with Megatron while there’s a war going on, I promise I’m doing everything to not make it any more difficult for him to lead the Decepticons.”

“We’re not worried about that,” Knockout waves his servo to the side dismissively, “In fact, Megatron’s vital readings were very slightly, but steadily improving over the course of the last two Earth years. I mean, you could even see it on the metal of his faceplate - _I_   would notice~ I had my suspicions it was the low-intensity of the war until now, but now it makes perfect sense. Everything makes so much sense…”

The medic groans and drags a servo over his face while Breakdown nods not one, not two, but four times.

“Told ya it could be Y/n,” the blue mech tells the red one in an ‘I told you so’ tone.

“You didn’t mean it like she was literally there beside him, making sure he was getting his slaggin’ cycles of recharge,” Knockout rolls his optics. Both mechs seem to be returning to their usual demeanours and Y/n decides to do the same.

“He does, doctor. Most of the time, that is,” Y/n smirks and both Knockout and Breakdown just look at her for a moment. Knockout’s cheek plate flinches again.

“This is SO damn weird,” the bruiser says and the medic just nods.

“You can start calling me ‘Lady Y/n’ anytime you want, guys,” the young woman smiles graciously, deciding that - while she still has suspicions and the reaction of her two friends may be interpreted in quite a few ways - she did what she could in planting seeds of thought in their processors. Might as well have some fun without ulterior motives now. Well, aside from hammering down the point _what good friends they all are,_ that is.

“Doll, until Megatron broadcasts across all halls and rooms of the Nemesis that he’s taken you as his – what’s the human term? – wife, the only kind of lady you are is ‘Lady Smartass’,” Knockout says, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“Oh that’s not happening anytime soon,” Y/n rolls her eyes and smirks as well, “But, who knows? If I leave Earth…Hm~”

“Cybertron’s Imperial consort F/n L/n,” Breakdown gives a quiet, breathy laugh, “The shock to all Decepticons would make an EM storm break out.”

“Gee, guys, here I am bearing my heart to you and this is the support I get? You traitors, I trusted you,” Y/n chuckles, noticing a certain uneasiness flash over their – Breakdown’s more so than Knockout’s – faces before immediately continuing, “You were the chosen ones, Anakins!”

The stupid reference makes Breakdown chuckle a bit and he shrugs as he replies:

“Yeah well maybe it’d be okay if you had the high ground, but yer literally spending nights with Megatron. That takes getting used to.”

“I don’t get your stupid nerd references,” Knockout tells them proudly before looking at the young woman with calm confidence, “But yeah, doll, we’ll be shaken up about it for a while. We’ve known Megatron far longer than you – and that’s even considering we’re basically ‘new’ additions to the crew.”

“I get it, I get it,” Y/n nods, “But you sure you’re not mad? You kind of looked mad for a second there. You guys okay?”

“Aside from having to deal with the fact that our sweet little Y/n was taken as a _partner_ by the biggest, baddest mech on the ship? We’re peachy~” Knockout assures smoothly.

 

Later that night, as she ‘accidentally’ passes Knockout’s and Breakdown’s hab suite and ‘accidentally’ concentrates her hearing on what’s happening inside, she can just barely make out something she has never heard from them before – shouting. Arguing. Loud arguing, considering her hearing can pick up on it through the Nemesis’s locked metal doors. She can’t make out the words and she knows she can’t stay next to the door for too long since that’d look suspicious on security footage, but the pit in her stomach grows twice as big as she’s hovering next to that door. So there _is_ something. No doubt about it now, no excuses Y/n's mind can make up. As she continues flying to her room, Y/n can’t seem to calm down her heartbeat and her anxiety keeps her up throughout the rest of the night. She looks at the cuff bracelet around her right wrist, briefly considers taking it off but instead ends up rubbing it for a long time like the sparkbeat against her skin could provide any answers.

The next day, the mechs don’t contact her and when she meets them the day after they’re acting like usual. The proxy decides to let them figure things out until she returns from the moon. Whatever they’re avoiding telling her, she hopes they will tell her once she’s back – even if they are Megatron’s subordinates, they claimed to be her friends, after all. And 'friend' was not a word the Decepticons threw around. And if they won’t tell her anything…well, at least she will know to what degree she can trust them from then on.  

 

*******

 

Y/n walks into the sunroom of her mansion with a large mug of tea in hand, steam rising from the drink as she walks across the room. She passes the apple tree, reaching out and carefully plucking one of the few small, rosy-red apples growing on the young tree, the leaves trembling as the apple’s stem disconnects from the branch. The young woman gets onto the sofa and covers her legs with a blanket after setting the mug and the apple onto the coffee table, next to the four still shelled chestnuts she brought from her walk in the garden. The pointy, green shells prickle her fingers as she picks them up and opens them one by one, exposing new, shiny chocolate-coloured chestnuts inside. Thoughtfully, she rolls them all in her hand as the sun lowers itself and soon disappears behind the trees.

In a way, F/n was partially right. What a cosy life Y/n has right now. All the privacy she wants almost whenever she wants it, so much new about the universe to explore, all places on the planet equally easily accessible, alien beings who consider her a friend and who she genuinely cares for...

Problem is, the way of life she got used to will inevitably change. Be it because of her deciding to stay on Earth or deciding to leave it…or learning something…Things wouldn’t be the same soon. Not with the war between Decepticons and Autobots almost undoubtedly escalating the moment Megatron returns. Even if the Earth's population stays oblivious, Y/n's familiar way of life will change. If it won't change sooner, that is, after she has some talks with her friends while on the moon or after she returns and finds out if her little revelation to Knockout and Breakdown made them want to tell her something in turn.

As twilight quickly sets in, Y/n sets aside the chestnuts and carefully picks up her mug with one hand while picking up her phone with the other, the smartphone’s screen lighting up in the deepening shadows as Y/n checks the progress on the readiness of her starship before tomorrow’s launch. Her gaze often slips down from her phone screen and onto her cuff bracelet, making her press her lips together in uneasiness. She eventually rubs it, her heart calming down despite everything when she hears Megatron’s sparkbeat.

 

_Ta-thum...Ta-thum...Ta-thum..._

 

It’s going to be fine, she tells herself despite feeling like there's a cold, inky darkness constantly growing in her stomach. It’s all going to be fine.

 

*******

 

The Decepticon starship D-R147-A3 stands with its bow turned towards the hatch of the hangar, engines humming while in standby mode. The silvery grey space vessel was picked by Starscream for Y/n to use since it was small, relatively unarmed compared to the others and a relatively new acquisition, not part of the Nemesis's regular set of ships – perfect for a simple Energon extraction mission. Eight mechs, one human and a variety of mining equipment are going to be transported by D-R147-A3 to the moon while Soundwave and other terminal-operating personnel make sure the ship isn’t noticed by Earth’s satellites or ground-based scanning equipment.

Y/n has been on board for the last four hours, making sure everything is in order, so by the time Knockout contacts her she’s already on the bridge of the starship, sitting in her tiny human captain’s chair that’s mounted onto a proper cybertronian one. Looks a bit silly, but if it works...Kody is directly in front of her, manning the main computer, Brushfire is to her left, keeping an optic on the holoscreen that shows the ship’s systems’ status and Sevny is to her right, attending to the weapons’ systems. Just in case. Neil and Steelstrike are talking about who Neil was replaced by for the time of his absence, Steelstrike commenting on how there’s not exactly a shortage of mechs, but of talent. Bobby is down in the main Energon reactor room, checking everything one last time, Doomtracks and Steve doing the same in the secondary reactor- and storage areas.

 

The young woman looks over everyone and tells them she’ll be right back.

 

“Like we’d fly off without ya,” Sevny smirks as she spins in his chair. Y/n returns the smirk. True enough, she was the ‘mission leader’, after all. Purely semantics, though, Starscream just wanted a reason for her to take all of the responsibility should something happen on the moon. Until now, however, it looked like this would be a fairly straightforward expedition.

The winged human flies off towards the hangar of the ship where the ramp is still lowered and immediately sees a red frame and a blue one. While she had already said her goodbyes to all of her officer friends, she’s not even slightly surprised to see them here. Even if her heart is heavy with doubt, she can’t exactly change how she feels about her precious duo from the medbay - not just yet, at least.

 

“Well look at you, your own ship and all. Moving up in the world~” the medic smirks as she flies down and stops to hover in front of them.

“ _Borrowed_ ship that Starscream will flay me for even scratching,” Y/n smiles, shrugging.

“Still, moon mission. At least _some_ excitement,” Breakdown offers with a chuckle.

“Hopefully not _too_ much,” Y/n thinks out loud.

“You’ll be fine, doll,” the doctor assures smoothly, “Just remember – if the grunts get too annoying, it’s completely okay to smack them.”

“Not like you’d do much damage,” Breakdown smiles, “Unless you, y’now, _do the thing.”_

“I’m not _doing the thing_ to my own people,” the proxy says, putting on her best insulted face.

“It won't harm them if you play around with the settings,” Knockout offers, making Y/n roll her eyes and cross her arms, “Commanding and being friends are different things, doll.”

“’Commanding’? _Please,”_ Y/n smirks, “Everyone already knows what to do. I’m here just as a scapegoat for Starscream if something accidentally blows up.”

“Oh come on, you get to be bossy for a while – enjoy it! You get to _…spread your wings_?” Breakdown offers with a mischievous expression, making Knockout sigh in dramatic exasperation and the young woman chuckle.

“Anyway,” Knockout clears his throat, “I expect you to return in perfect health. Eat your vitamins.”

Y/n lifts her eyebrows a bit.

“What vitamins?”

“The ones we _might_ have added to your cargo while you weren’t looking?~” Knockout offers innocently, “Full disclosure – it was Breakdown’s idea.”

“Remember: multivitamin pills are not a replacement for food,” Breakdown cites as he grins at her.

The proxy looks over the two mechs and smiles, genuinely touched. While the Vehicons may be her best bet to get some information, these two are the mechs she knows the most about in terms of them sharing their shady backstories and knowing them in their current daily lives. It makes it even scarier to think of what they _haven’t_ told her out of one reason or another. Hopefully, they'll be willing to talk once she returns.

“Thank you, guys,” she nods at both her friends, “You two take care of each other.”

“Always do, kid,” Breakdown assures and Knockout simply nods. He then looks to the side and gestures to Y/n that he’s taking a call, mouthing a ‘Screamer’ with his lips.

“Yes, yes, _commander,_ we are aware that the mission is about to begin. Friendly medical advice – don’t blow a fuse, hm?~” the cherry red mech says and both Y/n and Breakdown have to stifle a chuckle. Knockout then looks at them and puts a servo on his hip, “He’s not happy with me right now.”

“Couldn’t imagine why, I adore you,” Y/n says with a giggle, deciding to add a little more affection for good measure. She means it, of course, but she also needs it to stay in their processors and maybe influence them just that little bit more, “Both of you. Stay safe, guys. Now, off you go.”

“Aye-aye, captain,” Breakdown smirks and winks at her while Knockout nods with a smile before beginning to drag the blue mech towards the exit by the forearm. The proxy watches both of them for a moment before looking up at one of the ceiling cameras and waving at it, knowing that Soundwave is definitely watching. She then turns around and flies back into the ship, the ramp closing behind her.

 

At exactly 08:00 Nemesis time, the huge hatch in front of the starship unlocks and opens, revealing Earth’s blue sky. Y/n is sitting in her chair, feeling vaguely similar to someone in an airplane. Kody lists off all the systems as ready while everyone magnetizes to their chairs, that including Y/n, whose suit presses her snugly against hers, even if she did strap in. Just to be sure.

“D-R147-A3, you’re cleared for take-off,” a mech on the other side of the frequency informs.

“Acknowledged. D-R147-A3 ready to launch,” Kody says, nodding either to himself or to his unseen colleague. Y/n feels the ship begin to vibrate more and takes a deep breath before giving one short command:

"Launch."

 

A moment later, the starship shoots out of the hangar and flies forward, quickly adjusting its angle to fly straight up.

 

“This is the best part, wooooooo!!!!!” Bobby screams, Brush joining him while Sevny laughs.

“I haaateee you aaaall!!” Doomtracks roars.

“Woaaah! Everyyone doooing aaalright?” Y/n asks, raising her voice because the crew's reactions and the ship rushing through layers of atmosphere with incredible speed...and also because she needed to scream _something._

“Nnneeeeever b-beetteeer b-broo!” Steve responds while the others give more or less normal replies, with Bobby still being overly excited, especially so as a burst of flame envelops the windshield of the ship. It’s not actually the ship itself, but the layer of air above their protective EM field catching fire but it still looks like they’re on fire. Memorable. And terrifying.

 

And then suddenly they are faced with the vast expanse of space and all is quiet and calm.

 

Once Y/n hears Kody starting to update them on the ship’s status, she begins to also snap back to reality. Phew, okay, that was actually a very smooth ascent. Then again, _cybertronian engineering._

“We’ve received a status confirmation request from the Nemesis,” Kody says and then remembers something, adding, “Um, captain.”

Y/n smirks at the absurdity but _sure,_ she can be a ‘captain’ for a couple of weeks.

“Understood, tell them we’re fine,” she tells the computer-operating mech while Sevny looks over the weapons systems and Brush is being given back his task of looking over the ship’s status while Kody contacts the Nemesis and then starts adjusting navigation. Y/n takes another deep, calming breath and remembers everything she learned from both Megatron’s stories of space travels and Soundwave’s very helpful officer instruction manual.

“Bobby, Steve, Tracks – go get a visual on everything downstairs,” she asks more than orders, looking at her friends. Steve chuckles.

“Yes, m'am. You heard the cap, let’s go.”

“I request a question first,” Bobby says as he stands up from his chair. Y/n puts on her best ‘gracious Megatron’ face.

“I’ll allow it. What is it?”

“…Are we there yet?”

The whole crew seems to take a collective sigh of annoyance and the maintenance mech runs downstairs, pleased with himself.

“Permission to offline?” Doomtracks asks and Y/n makes an abstract wave with her hand.

“Denied….for now.”

“Heh, this is going to be fun,” Steve chuckles as he leaves the bridge.

 

They travel for less than half an hour, Kody happily telling Y/n about their speed and their course and best landing places….before he suddenly stops.

“Something’s not right,” he says quietly, Y/n immediately tensing in her chair, “I’ve never seen this befo- Everyone, grab onto something! There’s an energy burst nearby!!”

The whole ship suddenly goes dark and then the bridge is swallowed by a white light coming through the observation screen as D-R147-A3 shakes and flips violently, the sound of several metal frames being thrown around almost entirely overshadowed by a thunderous, almost roar-like sound that seems to come from all around.

 

 

 

_~~_______          /H                                             э~~ ~~e  l                                   pm                                       э~~ ~~e                _______~~ _

 

Everything goes dark again and Y/n is left blind and deaf as her senses are all screwed up, her own loud, rapid heartbeat being the only sound she's able to hear.

 

“Status report! Everyone, are you alright?... _Guys?..._ ”

 

 

 

 


End file.
